US President Donald Trump and his team are discussing options for acquiring Greenland and the use of the US military in pursuit of the goal is "always an option," the White House says.
Mr Trump's ambition of acquiring Greenland as a strategic hub in the Arctic, where there is growing interest from Russia and China, has been revived in recent days in the wake of the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the US.
The White House said in a statement that Mr Trump saw acquiring Greenland as a US national security priority necessary to "deter our adversaries in the Arctic region".
"The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilising the US military is always an option at the commander-in-chief's disposal," the White House said.
A senior US official said discussions about ways to acquire Greenland were active in the Oval Office and that advisers were discussing a variety of options.
Europe rallies behind Greenland Leaders from major European powers have issued a joint statement rallying behind Greenland, saying the Arctic island belongs to its people.
A US military intervention in Venezuela has rekindled concerns among Danish leaders and European allies that Greenland might face a similar fate.
On Sunday, a day after US forces carried out their audacious operation to seize Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Mr Trump again listed Greenland as another of the territories he would like to bring under American control.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has repeatedly said his people do not want to be part of the United States.
In response to the White House's rhetoric, the leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark issued a joint statement on Tuesday, local time, upholding that: "Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland."
The leaders said security in the Arctic must be achieved collectively with NATO allies, including the United States.
"NATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European Allies are stepping up," the statement said.
"We and many other Allies have increased our presence, activities, and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries."
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof also expressed support for the joint statement through a post on X.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters in Warsaw: "No member should attack or threaten another member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Otherwise, NATO would lose its meaning if conflict or mutual conflicts occurred within the alliance."
The joint statement came a day after White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller refused to rule out military action to take over the island.
"You can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else," Mr Miller told CNN.
"But we live in a world, in the real world, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power." Greenland PM urges 'respect' for territorial integrity Greenland's prime minister welcomed the European leaders' pledge of solidarity and renewed his call to the US for a "respectful dialogue".
"The dialogue must take place with respect for the fact that Greenland's status is rooted in international law and the principle of territorial integrity," he said in a post on Facebook.
To fend off US criticism over Greenland's defence capabilities, Denmark last year pledged 42 billion Danish crowns ($9.7 billion) to boost its military presence in the Arctic.
US special envoy Jeff Landry, asked about the Europeans' joint statement, told CNBC on Tuesday: "Security should be a major concern for the United States."
Asked whether security should be handled in conjunction with NATO, he said: "I think we should ask the Greenlanders."
Mr Trump named Mr Landry, the Republican governor of Louisiana, as his special envoy to Greenland last month, asking him to "lead the charge" for the island.
Mr Landry said on Tuesday that Mr Trump was offering Greenland economic opportunities, but he did not think the president would take it by force.
"I think that the president supports an independent Greenland with economic ties and trade opportunities for the United States," Mr Landry said, adding that the US had more to offer than Europe.
Island offers strategic benefits to US Mr Miller said on Monday that the US was not anticipating having to fight a conflict over Greenland.
"Nobody is going to fight the US militarily over the future of Greenland," he told CNN.
Just hours after Saturday's Venezuela operation, Mr Miller's wife, Katie Miller, posted on X a map of Greenland painted with the Stars and Stripes, accompanied by the text "SOON".
Greenland, the world's largest island but with a population of just 57,000 people, is not an independent member of NATO but is covered by Denmark's membership of the Western alliance.
The island's strategic location between Europe and North America makes it a critical site for the US ballistic missile defence system.
Its mineral wealth also aligns with Washington's ambition to reduce reliance on Chinese exports.
Original Story Link: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-07/european-leaders-back-greenland-after-trump-threats/106205394?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web
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