Need Greenland from national security standpoint, says Trump; Denmark tells US to stop threats

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has once again said that the United States needs Greenland for national security reasons, a day after strikes on Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night, Trump said Greenland was critical to US security due growing presence of Russia and China in the Arctic region.

“We need Greenland. … It’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump said. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”

Trump further claimed that Europe supports the idea. “The European Union needs us to have it, and they know that,” he said.

Trump’s remarks came just a day after the US carried out a dramatic military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife during an overnight raid in Caracas.

The prime minister of Denmark is urging President Trump to stop threatening to annex Greenland. https://t.co/nCvNKY4eYd pic.twitter.com/JSfxrxkVCo

— ABC News (@ABC) January 5, 2026

Trump has repeatedly stated that he wants to annex Greenland, a vast, resource-rich island in the Atlantic that is a self-governing territory of Denmark. He has argued that taking control of Greenland is necessary for American defence interests. Both Greenland and Denmark, a NATO ally of the United States, have consistently rejected the idea.

Reacting strongly, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called on Trump to stop making threats over Greenland. “It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland”, Frederiksen said in a statement.

“The US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom,” she added. “I would therefore strongly urge the US 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”, Frederiksen said.

US President Donald Trump speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Florida to Joint Base AndrewsTrump argued that Greenland’s strategic location in the Arctic, along with its reserves of critical minerals used in high-tech industries, makes it vital for US security.

Earlier on Sunday, Trump reiterated his position in an interview with The Atlantic. “We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence”, he told the magazine.

Tensions further escalated after a controversial social media post by Katie Miller, the wife of Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. Late Saturday, hours after the US military operation against Venezuela, she posted an image of Greenland painted in the colours of the US flag, CBS News reported. The post carried a single word, “SOON”.

SOON pic.twitter.com/XU6VmZxph3

— Katie Miller (@KatieMiller) January 3, 2026

The image sparked immediate backlash from Danish officials. Denmark’s ambassador to the United States, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, responded on Sunday with his own post.

“We expect full respect for the territorial integrity of Denmark”, Soerensen said, sharing a link to Miller’s image. “We are close allies and should continue to work together as such,” he added, stressing that Denmark and the US “work together to ensure security in the Arctic”.

Soerensen also noted that Denmark had “significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts” in 2025, showing that it takes their “joint security seriously.”

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also reacted strongly, calling the social media post “disrespectful” but making it clear that it would not change Greenland’s position, CBS news reported. “Our country is not for sale and our future is not determined by social media posts,” Nielsen said in a statement translated from Greenlandic.

“We are a democratic society with autonomy, free elections and strong institutions. Our position is clearly rooted in international law and in internationally recognised agreements. It stands.”

Trump’s renewed comments have added to diplomatic unease, notably after he appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland in December, a move that drew criticism from both Copenhagen and Nuuk, CBS News reported.

With Washington pushing its strategic claims and Denmark pushing back forcefully, the dispute has emerged as a fresh point of tension between long-standing NATO allies. (ANI)