Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has directly communicated the United Kingdom's firm position on the status of Greenland to US President Donald Trump during a significant phone conversation, Downing Street has confirmed.
Key Discussions in the Transatlantic Call
The conversation, which took place on the evening of Thursday, 8 January 2026, covered several critical international issues. A Number 10 spokesperson stated that the leaders discussed the joint operation to intercept the sanctioned oil tanker Bella 1, also known as the Marinera.
This operation involved US and UK military forces and was part of shared efforts to enforce international sanctions. The UK's Defence Secretary, John Healey, later clarified to the House of Commons that while UK forces supported the mission at the American request, no UK personnel physically boarded the vessel.
Healey described the Bella 1 as a "falsely flagged" and "sanctioned, stateless vessel" that was intercepted between Iceland and Scotland while heading towards Russia.
Greenland's Sovereignty Reasserted
The most diplomatically sensitive topic was Greenland. President Trump has been openly vocal about his desire to annex the vast Arctic territory, which is an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark, a fellow NATO member.
During the call, Sir Keir Starmer explicitly set out the UK's stance, which aligns with a joint European statement released just two days prior, on Tuesday. That statement, supported by the UK and other allies, unequivocally declared that "Greenland belongs to its people" and that only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning the territory.
This firm position comes against a backdrop of heightened anxiety following US military action in Venezuela and President Trump's invocation of a re-branded "Donroe Doctrine"—his adaptation of the Monroe Doctrine—which asserts US rights to intervene in the Americas.
Regional Tensions and NATO Implications
The context of the discussion is one of increased regional tension. Following the audacious US raid in Caracas that led to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, fears have grown in Greenland over potential American action.
President Trump told Sky's US partner network NBC News on Monday that the US needs Greenland "for national security, right now." A subsequent White House statement insisted that utilising the US military remains "always an option", despite opposition from NATO allies.
The Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, has issued a stark warning that any US action against Greenland would mean the end of the NATO alliance. The UK Prime Minister's call with President Trump therefore represents a crucial diplomatic intervention to reinforce a unified European and allied position on this volatile issue.
