Mystery behind Greenland: European allies eyeing whether US should take over Denmark's territory

Allies, including France and Germany, are working closely on a plan on how to respond should the United States act on its threat to take over Greenland as Europe seeks to address U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambitions in the region.

A U.S. military seizure of Greenland from a longtime ally, Denmark, would send shock waves through the NATO alliance and deepen the divide between Trump and European leaders.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that the subject would be raised at a meeting with the foreign ministers of Germany and Poland later in the day.

"We want to take action, but we want to do so together with our European partners," he said on France Inter radio.

A German government source said separately that Germany was "closely working together with other European countries and Denmark on the next steps regarding Greenland."

A senior European official said Denmark must lead the effort to coordinate a response, but "the Danes have yet to communicate to their European allies what kind of concrete support they wish to receive," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

European allies eyeing whether US should take over Greenland

Leaders from major European powers and Canada have rallied behind Greenland this week, saying the Arctic island belongs to its people, following a renewed threat by U.S. President Donald Trump to take over the territory.

The idea of taking over the Danish Greenland was first voiced in 2019 during Trump’s first U.S. presidency.

According to Reuters, Trump in recent days has again repeated that he wants to gain control of Greenland, the idea that he proposed nearly seven years ago.

He argued that “the island is key for U.S. military strategy and claims that Denmark has not done enough to protect it.”

The White House said on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, that Trump was discussing options for acquiring Greenland, including potential use of the U.S. military, in a revival of his ambition to control the strategic island, despite European objections.

Barrot suggested a U.S. military operation had been ruled out by Washington's top diplomat.

As per the ongoing global tensions, a U.S. military operation over the weekend that seized the Venezuelan leader had already rekindled concerns that Greenland might face a similar scenario.

Is Greenland for Sale?

Greenland and Denmark have said the island is not for sale.

Whereas, it can be true, as options include “the outright US purchase of Greenland or forming a Compact of Free Association COFA with the territory,” an official said.

The mystery would be solved with a COFA agreement that could stop short of Trump’s ambition to make the Denmark's island’s territory a part of the United States.

According to multiple sources, the Secretary of U.S. State, Marco Rubio, told lawmakers that recent administration threats against Greenland did not signal an imminent invasion and that the goal is to buy the island from Denmark during a classified briefing late on Monday for congressional leaders.

Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen has requested an urgent meeting with U.S. secretary Marco Rubio to discuss the situation.

Mystery Behind Greenland: Why is the Danish territory special?

The world's largest island but with a population of just 57,000 people, Greenland is not an independent member of NATO but is covered by Denmark's membership in the Western alliance.

The island is strategically located between Europe and North America, making it a critical site for the U.S. ballistic missile defense system for decades.

It’s always been an important mid-Atlantic bridgehead, and it played an important role in World War II.

In any new major war, whoever controls Greenland would master the vital Atlantic sea lanes. And an existing US base on the territory already plays an important role in US early-warning missile detection systems.

Eight decades, after World War II, Greenland is becoming a hotter spot, literally and geopolitically, as melting ice opens new shipping routes on the roof of the world.

Meanwhile, China and Russia understand just as well as Trump how strategically critical it could be.

Its mineral wealth also aligns with Washington's ambition to reduce reliance on China, as Greenland is also rich in yet-to-be-tapped offshore oil and gas fields.

Trump has repeatedly said Russian and Chinese vessels are stalking waters around Greenland, which Denmark disputes.

"The image that's being painted of Russian and Chinese ships right inside the Nuuk fjord and massive Chinese investments being made is not correct," said Denmark's foreign minister, Rasmussen.

Vessel tracking data from Marine Traffic and LSEG show no presence of Chinese or Russian ships near Greenland, while the exact verdict from the Danish and Greenland governments is still pending.