Former US President Donald Trump's persistent ambition to annex Greenland has sent shockwaves through international diplomatic circles, raising a stark question for Britain: could the UK ever face a military threat from its closest ally?
The Unthinkable Scenario: A US Attack on Britain
Ian Bond, deputy director of the London-based Centre for European Reform, addressed these fears directly. He stated it is "almost inconceivable that even a president as erratic as Trump would attack the UK." Bond pointed to Trump's substantial personal investments in the country, including his ownership of 17 golf courses across the UK, and a well-documented admiration for the Royal Family as significant deterrents.
Trump's fondness for the British monarchy is long-standing; he often recalls his mother watching Queen Elizabeth II's coronation when he was six. Furthermore, during his second state visit, he referred to Prince William as his "friend." Just last July, he hosted Prime Minister Keir Starmer at two of his Scottish golf resorts to discuss trade, Ukraine, and Gaza.
The Real Threat: NATO's Demise and European Security
However, Bond issued a severe warning: "But that doesn't mean that we are safe." The true danger lies not in a direct assault, but in the potential collapse of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) triggered by a US move on Greenland.
"If Trump invades Greenland, setting off the collapse of NATO, the UK would lose its most important alliance and the mutual defence guarantee that goes with it," Bond explained. This mutual defence clause, Article 5, states that an attack on one member is an attack on all.
Trump has repeatedly undermined this core principle. Last week, he suggested the US would only defend Greenland if it seized it, directly contradicting NATO's founding ethos. On January 15, 2026, he wrote that NATO "would not be an effective force or deterrent" without the US, insisting the alliance only becomes "formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES."
A World Without American Protection
Bond's analysis presents a chilling new reality for European leaders. "For the first time since the end of World War Two, European leaders have to consider the likelihood that if they were attacked, the US would not come to their aid," he says. He concludes that "almost all of them, including the UK, are seriously under-prepared for that."
The situation is exacerbated by Trump's "constant flirtation with Vladimir Putin," which Bond says is "putting European security at risk." Trump hosted the Russian president last year and has sought to halt US weapons shipments to Ukraine, only relenting when NATO agreed to fund the aid instead.
The White House justifies its interest in Greenland by citing its strategic position in the Arctic Circle and wealth of natural resources, arguing that if the US doesn't claim it, China or Russia will. In response, allies including Germany, Sweden, France, and Norway have conducted joint military exercises with Denmark. Russia has ominously warned of "the end of the world" if Trump follows through on his Greenland promise.
As Trump pits the world's most powerful military against its own allies, the UK faces a future where its primary security guarantee is no longer assured, marking a profound and dangerous shift in the global order.
