The expansionism of the Donald Trump Administration, which had already shown its face in Latin America, now sets its sights on the northernmost part of the Western Hemisphere.
After aggressions against Venezuela and threatening rhetoric toward Cuba, Mexico, and Colombia, the President of the United States turns his gaze toward the Arctic. A region he describes as "vital for national security" but which hides immense riches: important mineral resources, rare earth elements… in addition to strategic position.
The idea, initially proposed as a purchase, evolved into an absolute demand from Trump, who stated: "One way or another, we’re going to have Greenland. Anything less than that is unacceptable." His discourse rests on the narrative of an alleged Russian and Chinese threat, although high-ranking Nordic officials declared that there are no records of a military presence of those countries in the area.
This obsession of the current White House occupant carries a special and dangerous connotation: the island is an autonomous territory that forms part of the Kingdom of Denmark, a member of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It would therefore be the first time that Washington openly threatens to attack a member of that alliance, as Trump wants to annex it militarily if necessary.
The "No" of the Allies
Neither the authorities of Greenland nor those of Denmark accept the intentions of the U.S. president and insist that their sovereignty be respected. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that the use of force would mean the end of the transatlantic pact. From Nuuk, the Greenlandic capital, Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen was emphatic in his speech and stated that his people would choose Denmark over the United States.
On January 14, during a meeting at the White House between U.S., Danish, and Greenlandic representatives, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen admitted to a “fundamental disagreement,” something predictable given the firmness of their positions.
Denmark’s allies in NATO, including the main European countries and Canada, showed their support, reaffirming that “only Copenhagen and Nuuk can decide on their sovereignty.”
Amid Trumpian intimidation, NATO member countries, including Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Denmark itself, sent a group of soldiers to Greenland with the declared purpose of participating in the joint Arctic Endurance exercises, reflecting the path that existing tensions might take.
Trump’s response was swift. In a new act of pressure and once again trying to impose his conditions, on Saturday, January 17, he announced that starting February 1, those same “allied countries” that sent troops would have to pay a 10% tariff on all supplies to the North American country, warning that the rate would increase to 25% starting June 1, 2026.
Trump’s greed proves once again that it has no limits, this time in the Arctic, challenging the very foundations of the Western order promoted by the northern nation for decades. The United States makes it clear that in its calculations, no ally is safe if they stand in the way of what it considers its national interest.
