Former President Donald J. Trump has once again reignited the debate around Greenland that has been going on for a few weeks now. Donald Trump declared that American control of the Greenland is essential to national defense and the future of NATO.
Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social that Greenland is “vital for the Golden Dome that we are building”. He added, “The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security.”
He wrote about NATO that they “should be leading the way for us to get it. IF WE DON’T, RUSSIA OR CHINA WILL, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!”
Donald Trump wants US wants to control Arctic shipping routes
Donald Trump wants US wants to control Arctic shipping routesThe remarks have revived and significantly escalated Trump’s long-standing interest in Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark that sits alongside key Arctic shipping routes and hosts critical US military infrastructure, including Pituffik Space Base. The US has always viewed Greenland as strategically important for missile warning systems and to control Arctic shipping routes.
Trump further wrote about NATO and the US military power, “Militarily, without the vast power of the United States, much of which I built during my first term, and am now bringing to a new and even higher level, NATO would not be an effective force or deterrent — Not even close!” he said. “NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES.”
Trump stressed that Greenland should be under the control of the US, saying, “Anything less than that is unacceptable. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT”
Greenland and Denmark have consistently rejected Donald Trump’s idea of US taking the island
According to reports, statements from Greenland and Denmark have rejected any notion of the island being under the control of the US. EU leaders have backed up the Greenlanders’ right to self-determination, while Denmark has stressed that Greenland is not for sale, even as it cooperates closely with Washington on defense matters. NATO officials, for their part, have traditionally framed Arctic security as a matter of alliance coordination rather than territorial acquisition.
However, Trump’s comments come amid heightened global competition in the Arctic, where melting ice is opening new sea lanes and access to natural resources. Russia has expanded its military footprint across the region, and China has declared itself a “near-Arctic state,” which has increased Western concerns about long-term strategic balance.
By casting Greenland as indispensable to U.S. security and unacceptable in any other hands, Trump has reignited a sensitive debate that blends alliance politics, sovereignty, and great-power rivalry and signaled that, for him, the Arctic remains a frontline issue in global power competition.
