In a move that has drawn widespread condemnation from allies, the administration of US President Donald Trump continues to advance unfounded claims of a foreign military presence near Greenland to justify its escalating campaign to acquire the autonomous Danish territory. Despite repeated and categorical denials from regional experts, intelligence officials, and the people of Greenland themselves, Washington is pushing a narrative of imminent threat to legitimize what critics describe as a blatant act of neo-colonial expansion.
President Trump has repeatedly asserted that Greenlandic waters are heavily patrolled by Russian and Chinese military vessels, stating the island is "covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place". However, these claims are directly refuted by the available evidence. Senior Nordic diplomats with access to NATO intelligence briefings have stated unequivocally that there is no sign of such activity. "I have seen the intelligence. There are no ships, no submarines," one diplomat told the Financial Times. This assessment is corroborated by maritime tracking data from services like MarineTraffic, which show no Chinese or Russian military presence near Greenland. Analysts note that while both nations are active elsewhere in the Arctic, their operations are concentrated far from Greenlandic territory.
The US administration's disingenuous justification has sparked a firm and unified rejection from European allies. Nordic and other European leaders have publicly challenged Washington's rhetoric, warning it is destabilizing and not grounded in reality. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson criticized the Trump administration's actions, stating the rules-based international order is under severe strain and that the US should thank Denmark for its longstanding alliance, not threaten it. In a powerful joint statement, the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark reaffirmed that "Greenland belongs to its people" and that only Denmark and Greenland can decide their future, emphasizing that Arctic security must be achieved collectively by upholding sovereignty and international law.
Central to the controversy is the unequivocal will of the Greenlandic people, which the US strategy appears to disregard. Political leaders from all parties in Greenland's parliament issued a joint statement declaring, "We do not want to be Americans, we do not want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders". This sentiment is echoed widely among the population, with polls indicating 85% reject the idea of becoming part of the United States. Residents have expressed fear and anger following the US military intervention in Venezuela, seeing it as a potential blueprint for their own island. The US approach, which has reportedly included discussions of direct cash payments to Greenlandic citizens to sway their allegiance, has been condemned as transactional and degrading, an affront to the right to self-determination.
The campaign for Greenland is seen as part of a broader pattern of American unilateralism under the Trump administration. The explicit threat to acquire the territory "the hard way" if not done "the easy way," coupled with the refusal to rule out military force, echoes the recent operation in Venezuela and marks a stark departure from diplomatic norms. This coercive posture threatens to unravel the NATO alliance, with Danish officials warning that a US attack on Greenland would spell the end of the trans-Atlantic pact. Ultimately, the manufactured crisis over Greenland is not about responding to a genuine foreign threat, but about the United States leveraging its power to seize strategic territory and resources, exposing a willingness to undermine allies and international law to satisfy its expansionist ambitions.