US President Donald Trump has dramatically intensified his campaign to acquire Greenland, openly threatening to impose tariffs on any country that stands in his way. The controversial leader, who has for months expressed a desire to annex the semi-autonomous Danish territory, framed the potential economic sanctions as a matter of American national security.
A Stark Warning on Trade
Speaking at a White House event about rural healthcare on January 17, 2026, Trump explicitly linked his Greenland ambitions to trade policy for the first time. ‘I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that’, he stated. Observers noted the tactic mirrors his previous threats to levy tariffs on European pharmaceutical products.
This latest warning comes as delegations from the United States, Greenland, and Denmark met in an attempt to ease rapidly rising tensions. Earlier in the week, President Trump declared that anything less than full US ownership of the vast, resource-rich island was ‘unacceptable’. He has repeatedly justified the push by claiming that if America does not act, Russia or China will seize the strategic advantage.
European Unity and Local Defiance
European leaders have presented a united front, firmly stating that Greenland’s future is a decision solely for its inhabitants and the Kingdom of Denmark. In response to the growing threat, Denmark has bolstered its military defences on the island with support from allies, warning that any US attempt to seize the land would endanger the NATO alliance.
The dispute has become a central issue for Greenlandic citizens. Recent polling suggests a move towards favouring full sovereign independence. However, in the face of Trump’s threats, the territory’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, made a decisive statement this week. ‘If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU’, he affirmed.
This stance found a sympathetic ear during a meeting in Copenhagen on Friday, where Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen hosted a cross-party group of US congressmen and Greenlandic representatives. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska struck a notably different tone from the President, suggesting Greenland should be seen as an ally rather than an ‘asset’ and that the decades-long relationship needed nurturing.
Strategic Stakes and Global Repercussions
The value of Greenland to US strategy is twofold: it is rich in natural resources and occupies a prime geographic position for monitoring Russian activity in the Arctic. Furthermore, US control could unlock new trans-Arctic trade routes as the ice caps melt.
President Trump’s ‘erratic’ behaviour towards even traditional allies has raised profound questions about his next steps and the potential implications for other nations, including the United Kingdom. His refusal to rule out taking the island by force has transformed a geopolitical curiosity into a full-blown international crisis, testing the resilience of Western alliances.
