Europe rallies to defend Greenland's sovereignty as US turns up pressure

As tensions rise over Greenland’s sovereignty, European leaders have come out in full support of Denmark, rejecting US claims to the Arctic territory. The controversy erupted after Stephen Miller, a top aide to President Donald Trump, intensified US rhetoric about Greenland’s future. Miller questioned Denmark's legitimacy over Greenland, calling for its eventual integration into the US.

While European nations, including France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK, defended Denmark’s control of Greenland, Miller downplayed the potential for military intervention, saying that Greenland’s small population made such actions unnecessary. His comments, which also dismissed Denmark’s historical and legal claims to the island, were met with swift backlash across Europe. Miller further suggested that Greenland’s strategic importance to NATO meant it should become part of the US to safeguard Western interests in the Arctic. “The US is the power of NATO, and Greenland should be part of the US for its defense and security,” Miller argued in an interview, adding that no nation would dare to challenge the US over Greenland.

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Despite the US’s stance, European leaders emphasised that Greenland’s future must be determined by its people. Several European heads of state joined Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in making it clear that any decisions regarding Greenland’s status are matters for Denmark and Greenland alone. NATO allies, they stressed, must prioritize collective security, with no single nation dictating the fate of Greenland.

In Greenland, there is growing concern over the US rhetoric. Greenlandic Minister Naaja H Nathanielsen expressed that the talk of annexation has caused anxiety among Greenlanders, who view the prospect of a US takeover as a dangerous regression to colonialism. While Greenland has long maintained a close partnership with the US, particularly due to the US military base in Thule, the island’s population firmly believes in their right to self-determination and independence. The growing international tensions follow a period of increasing support for Greenlandic independence. In March, a new coalition government in Greenland highlighted this desire, with its agreement saying, “Greenland belongs to us.”