How Europe can try to save Greenland from Trump: Politico outlined four options
Kyiv • UNN
European governments, concerned about Donald Trump's intentions regarding Greenland, are considering four strategies to counter them. These include seeking a compromise, financial injections, an economic response, and the deployment of ground forces.
Politico learned about 4 potential strategies for the US president to deter the US from saving Greenland, having spoken with officials, diplomats, experts, and NATO insiders, UNN reports.
Details
"If European governments didn't realize before that Donald Trump's threats to seize Greenland were serious, they do now. Politicians are no longer ignoring the US president's escalating rhetoric and are desperately looking for a plan to stop him," the publication says.
"We must be prepared for a direct confrontation with Trump," said an EU diplomat briefed on the ongoing discussions. "He is in aggressive mode, and we need to be ready."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that he plans to discuss the US acquisition of Greenland with Danish officials next week.
Rubio says he will meet with Danish and Greenlandic officials next week07.01.26, 19:20 • 4626 views
The White House said Trump would prefer to acquire the territory through negotiations, and that he would consider buying the island, but a military takeover is possible.
As diplomatic efforts intensified in Europe, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that he and his German and Polish counterparts had discussed a joint European response to Trump's threats.
"At stake is how Europe, the EU, can be strengthened to deter threats, encroachments on its security and interests," Barrot told reporters. "Greenland is not for sale, and it cannot be taken... so the threats must stop."
"Everyone is very stunned and doesn't know what we actually have in our arsenal," said a former Danish MP. "No one really knows what to do, because the Americans can do whatever they want. But we need answers to these questions immediately. They can't wait three, five or seven years."
The publication notes that it spoke with officials, diplomats, experts, and NATO insiders to determine how Europe can deter the US president from such a move, and what options it has if he does.
Option 1 - find a compromise
Trump says Greenland is vital to US security interests and accuses Denmark of not doing enough to protect it from increasing Chinese and Russian military activity in the Arctic.
Trump said the US "needs Greenland for defense"04.01.26, 21:24 • 7536 views
"A negotiated settlement that allows Trump to walk away from the talks with something he can sell as a victory, and that allows Denmark and Greenland to save face, is probably the quickest way out of trouble," the publication says.
A former senior NATO official suggested that the alliance could mediate between Greenland, Denmark, and the US, as it has done with alliance members Turkey and Greece in their disputes.
US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said on Wednesday that Trump and his advisers do not believe Greenland is adequately protected. "As the ice melts and routes open up in the Arctic and the Far North... Greenland becomes a very serious security threat to the mainland United States of America," he said.
NATO allies are also considering new proposals for Trump that could strengthen Greenland's security, despite the widespread belief that any direct threat from Russian and Chinese ships to the territory is exaggerated, the publication writes.
Among other proposals, the alliance should consider accelerating defense spending in the Arctic, conducting more military exercises in the region, and deploying troops to ensure Greenland's security and reassure the US if necessary, according to three NATO diplomats.
The alliance should also be open to creating an "Arctic Sentry" scheme - moving its military assets to the region - similar to the "Eastern Sentry" and "Baltic Sentry" initiatives, two diplomats said.
"Everything that can be done" to strengthen the alliance's presence near Greenland and meet Trump's demands "should be maximized," said one of the aforementioned NATO diplomats.
As the publication notes, Trump also says he wants Greenland for its vast mineral deposits and potential oil and gas reserves. But there's a reason why Greenland remains largely untapped: extracting resources from its inhospitable terrain is difficult and very expensive, making them less competitive than Chinese imports, the publication points out.
Danish envoys say they have been trying for years to make the case for investment in Greenland, but their European counterparts have not been receptive, although an EU diplomat familiar with the matter said there are signs that attitudes are changing.
Option 2 - give Greenland a lot of money
The Trump administration, as stated, has fully supported the Greenlandic independence movement. The bottom line is that if the Arctic territory leaves the Kingdom of Denmark and signs an agreement with the US, it will be flooded with American money, the publication writes.
While Trump has repeatedly refused to rule out the use of military force to seize Greenland, he has also insisted that he wants it to happen voluntarily.
The EU and Denmark are trying to convince Greenlanders that they can offer them a better deal.
Brussels plans to more than double its spending on Greenland from 2028 under long-term budget plans developed after Trump began making claims to the Danish-held territory, according to a draft European Commission proposal published in September.
Under the plans, which are subject to further negotiations between the bloc's member states, the EU will almost double its spending on Greenland to 530 million euros over a seven-year period starting in 2028.
This is in addition to the money Denmark sends to Greenland as part of its agreement with the self-governing territory.
Under the same document, Greenland will also be eligible to apply for an additional 44 million euros in EU funding for remote territories linked to European countries.
Danish-European support currently focuses mainly on social welfare, healthcare, education, and the territory's green transition. Under the new spending plans, this focus will be expanded to developing the island's capacity to extract mineral resources.
"We have many people below the poverty line, infrastructure in Greenland is lagging, and our resources are mostly exported without good returns for Greenland, but mostly bring profits to Danish companies," said Kuno Fencker, an opposition MP who advocates for Greenland's independence.
"An attractive offer from Denmark and the EU may be enough to keep Greenlanders out of America," the publication notes.
Option 3 - economic response
Since Trump's first term in office, "a lot of effort has gone into trying to think through how we can provide European security, Nordic security, Arctic security without active US involvement," said Thomas Crosby, a US military expert at the Royal Danish Defense College, which provides training and education for the Danish defense forces.
"It's difficult, but possible. But I don't know if anyone has seriously considered providing European security from America. That's just crazy," Crosby said.
"The EU has one powerful political tool at its disposal that it could use to deter Trump: the Anti-Coercion Instrument, a 'trade bazooka' created after the first Trump administration, which allows the EU to apply retaliatory measures against trade discrimination," the publication says.
The EU threatened to use it after Trump imposed tariffs on the bloc, but shelved it in July after both sides reached an agreement.
As the US is still imposing tariffs on the EU, Brussels could use the "bazooka" again, the publication notes.
"Our exports to the United States are slightly over 600 billion euros, and for about a third of these goods, we have a market share of over 50 percent, and it is absolutely clear that this is also power in our hands," said Bernd Lange, chairman of the European Parliament's trade committee.
"But Trump will have to believe in the seriousness of the EU's sentiments, given that all his tough talk last time yielded no results," the publication notes.
Option 4 - ground forces
"If the US decides to seize Greenland by military force, there is little Europeans can do to prevent it," the publication writes.
"They are not going to preemptively attack the Americans before they claim Greenland, because that would be done before the war starts," said Crosby, the Danish military educator. "But as for responding to the first move, it all depends on the circumstances. If the Americans have a very small group of people, you can try to arrest those people, because that would be a criminal act."
It's a completely different story if the US intervenes harshly, the publication writes.
"From a legal point of view, Denmark might be forced to respond with military means. According to a standing order from 1952, troops must 'immediately engage in combat, without waiting or seeking orders' in 'case of an attack on Danish territory,'" the publication says.
"European countries should weigh the possibility of deploying troops to Greenland - if Denmark asks - to increase the potential cost of US military action," an EU diplomat said, reiterating suggestions that Berlin and Paris could send forces to deter any invasion.
While these forces are unlikely to be able to withstand a US invasion, they would act as a deterrent, the publication writes.
"There could be a tripwire effect, where some groups of people physically interfere, like in a Tiananmen Square type situation, potentially forcing the [American] military to use violence" or retreat, Crosby said.
But such a strategy comes at a high price, he said, adding: "This is completely uncharted territory, but it is entirely possible that lives will be lost in an attempt to deflect American claims to Greenland."
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