'Can’t sell 57000 Danish citizens…': Danish lawmaker issues stark warning to US over Greenland, warns of disastrous NATO war

Home NewsCant sell 57000 Danish citizens…: Danish lawmaker issues stark warning to US over Greenland, warns of disastrous NATO war ‘Can’t sell 57000 Danish citizens…’: Danish lawmaker issues stark warning to US over Greenland, warns of disastrous NATO war

Donald Trump and his administration have recently escalated their violent rhetoric towards Greenland after the US struck Venezuela this past week.

Published: January 10, 2026 7:22 AM IST By Sumaila Zaman | Edited by Sumaila Zaman Follow Us

United States President Donald Trump’s latest interest is in acquiring Greenland. And his latest ambitions have caused tension between Denmark and the US. For decades, Washington has viewed Greenland as strategically important, and the Trump administration has once more placed the island at the centre of its Arctic agenda by reviving discussions around altering the status of the Danish territory.

At the time of Trump’s first term as president, he made an offer to purchase Greenland. The Danish government responded at the time that they were not selling Greenland. The fear of Russia and China laying a “claim” to foreign territories has been repeated by President Trump before, too.

In light of Trump’s comments, the White House has indicated that military force could be an option if Greenland were to come under US jurisdiction, and accordingly, the Danish Parliament began preparations to defend Greenland. Rasmus Jarlov, Denmark Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Defence Committee Rasmus Jarlov, stated that if the United States attacks Greenland, Denmark must defend itself.

Although Jarlov acknowledged that it may be difficult for Denmark’s armed forces to withstand the might of the United States, he reiterated that Denmark would take action in the event of an act of aggression against it.

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While speaking to NDTV, Jarlov, in an exclusive interview, stated, “We also want to make clear that it’s not acceptable to attack us militarily, and it would lead to the absurd situation and disastrous situation of a war between two NATO countries, which would be completely devastating and very, very stupid and unnecessary.”

According to Jarlov, there is no threat, hostility or justification for Donald Trump to launch a military aggression against Greenland, as the United States has had available access to the country through an arrangement for defence co-operation which includes all aspects of mineral extraction. “There’s absolutely no need for this, and we hope we can get it back on track and that it doesn’t escalate,” Jarlov stated.

“We can’t sell 57,000 Danish citizens to become Americans. They have made that extremely clear,”  Jarlov was quoted as saying by NDTV. According to Jarlov; Greenland is not for sale, and it has nothing to do with how much somebody wants to pay for Greenland.

After Trump was elected president in 2024, he revived an offer to purchase Greenland that he had made in 2019 when he was president for the first time, but his offer was also denied again. When he was first offered the opportunity to buy Greenland, he was told that it was not available for sale.

Greenland is an autonomous region of Denmark located in the Arctic. It has a population of approximately 57,000 people. Greenland is abundant in minerals and other natural resources. President Donald Trump considers Greenland to be critical to US national security. Since taking office for his second term, he has made it a point to consistently address his interest in Greenland. He has even suggested buying Greenland, although this was met with resistance from both Denmark and Greenland.

Donald Trump and his administration have recently escalated their violent rhetoric towards Greenland after the US struck Venezuela this past week. The Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, has stated that if the United States were to carry out an armed attack on Greenland, it would be an act that would bring about the end of the 76-year-old military alliance between the Western nations.

“Certainly a military attack would be the end of NATO, because then Denmark would have to invoke the Article 5 of NATO, which is the oath that countries have to come and protect us. Then the Americans and all other countries would be obliged to come and aid Denmark protect Denmark against the United States. Of course, the Americans would veto that, and then NATO would be dead,”  Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was quoted as saying by NDTV.

As per a Reuters report, which cited four sources familiar with the matter, several U.S. government officials met to discuss the idea of sending a payment to the citizens of Greenland in hopes of encouraging them to secede from Denmark and potentially join the United States. Furthermore, the report indicated that White House and U.S. officials were discussing payments from $10,000 to $100,000 per individual, which means the U.S. could spend up to $6 billion for this.

About the Author

Sumaila Zaman

Sumaila Zaman is a Senior Sub Editor at India.com, where she covers key developments and trending events across education, world affairs, business, and current reports. At India.com, she specializes in b ... Read More

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