Greenland says it should be defended by NATO alliance

| January 13, 2026

Greenland’s government says it will increase efforts to ‍ensure the defence of the Arctic territory takes place under the auspices ​of the NATO military alliance, and again rejected US ambitions to take over the ⁠island.

US President Donald Trump has said the United States must own Greenland, an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark, to prevent Russia or China occupying the strategically located and minerals-rich territory in the future.

“All NATO member states, including ‌the United ​States, have a common interest in the defence of Greenland,” ‍the island’s coalition government said in a statement, adding that it can in no way accept a US takeover of Greenland.

“As part of the Danish commonwealth, Greenland is a member of NATO and the defence of Greenland ​must therefore be through NATO,” the government ‌said.

The European Union Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius said earlier on Monday that ​any US military takeover of Greenland would be the end of ‍NATO.

Trump first floated the idea of a US takeover of Greenland in 2019 during his first term in office, although he ​faces opposition ​in the US, including from ​within his own party.

While Denmark has ​ruled Greenland for centuries, the territory has gradually been moving towards independence since 1979, a goal shared by all political parties elected to the island’s parliament.

Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953 and is now largely autonomous, with Denmark remaining responsible for security and defence policy.

“We are a democratic society that makes our own decisions. And our actions are based on international law,” Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen wrote on LinkedIn.

with DPA