'US has no right to annex...': Denmark panics after Trump says 'we need Greenland'; ‘SOON’ post sparks alarm after Venezuela strike

Even as shockwaves run through Cuba, Greenland and Colombia over the next move by the United States after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen urged America to stop "threatening" Greenland. Trump has claimed, again and again, that making the Danish territory part of the United States would serve US national security interests, given its strategic location on the Arctic. Frederiksen clearly stated that the US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom. Greenland has a population of 57,000 people, has had extensive self-government since 1979, though defence and foreign policy remain in Danish hands. It is also rich in key critical minerals used in high-tech sectors.

"I have to say this very clearly to the United States: it is absolutely absurd to say that the United States should take control of Greenland…It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland…The US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom," Frederiksen said in a statement late Sunday. She also added, “I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have very clearly said that they are not for sale.”

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also criticised Katie Miller's post calling it “disrespectful." "Relations between nations and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law -- not on symbolic gestures that disregard our status and our rights," he stated on X. But he also said that “there is neither reason for panic nor for concern. Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts.” Denmark's ambassador to the US, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, also reacted saying “we expect full respect for the territorial integrity.”

Is Greenland next?

Even as Danish PM pushed back, Trump, while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, said, “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.” Addressing the media after the capture of Maduro, Trump had said, “We need Greenland. We do need Greenland, absolutely...[It's] surrounded by Russia and Chinese ship.” He added ‘national security’ as a reason for his demand. Meanwhile, Katie Miller, wife of Trump's deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, posted the contentious image of the Danish autonomous territory in the colours of the US flag on her X feed. She captioned the post as “SOON,” igniting conversation that the US may try to bring Greenland under its control next. Stephen Miller is widely seen as the architect of much of Trump's policies, AFP reported.

Trump from the start of his presidency in 2025 has maintained that Greenland is essential for US national security. Trump has earlier dismissed Denmark's historical claim to the territory, remarking, "They say that Denmark was there 300 years ago... well we were there with boats too, I'm sure". In December 2025, Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy to Greenland. Landry has publicly stated his role is to help "make Greenland a part of the US." Back in 2019, Trump had first proposed the idea of "buying Greenland" describing it as a "strategic real estate acquisition."

US bombs Venezuela, captures and jails Maduro

In an operation titled Operation Absolute Resolve, the US, on Saturday (Jan 3), entered Venezuela, bombed Caracas and captured Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their presidential palace. Maduro was flown to USS Iwo Jima, then to Guantánamo Bay, and finally by government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in NY. He is held at Brooklyn’s notorious Metropolitan Detention Center, and he faces narco-terrorism charges. He is set to appear in Manhattan federal court on Jan 5.