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JD Vance issues warning to Denmark over Greenland
Vice President JD Vance said President Donald Trump is “willing to go as far as he has to” over Greenland, deepening the ugly rift between the U.S. and NATO ally Denmark over the strategic Arctic territory.
Newsweek has contacted the Danish Foreign Ministry for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The Trump administration has shaken Denmark and other NATO countries by doubling down on its intention to control Greenland with fresh vigor. Trump has long coveted Greenland—the vast, sparsely populated semi-autonomous Danish territory is rich in minerals and hosts a key U.S. airbase, vital for detecting long-range missiles heading for U.S. soil.But the aggressive stance from U.S. officials, and the refusal to rule out military action against Greenland, prompted Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to warn this week that U.S. military action on the territory would signal the disintegration of NATO.
The alliance’s Article 5 considers an attack on one to be an assault on all. For the U.S., its most influential member, to possibly turn its military on another NATO state would rip apart the very basis of the alliance.
What To Know
“Have the Europeans, have the Danes, done a proper job of securing Greenland and making sure it can continue to serve as an anchor for world security and missile defense? And the answer is, obviously they haven’t,” Vance said in an interview with Fox News, aired on Wednesday. “They’ve underinvested in their security, they haven’t done a good job of securing that area, that landmass.”Vance, visiting Greenland in March 2025, had accused Copenhagen of neglecting Greenland. Danish officials say they have increased defense spending in the Arctic, repeatedly rebuffing Washington’s overtures toward the island. Several European leaders huddled in solidarity around Denmark and Greenland, insisting the island “belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations.”
“Our country isn’t something you can deny or take over because you want to,” said Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, on Monday. The Greenlandic leader had condemned the U.S. administration’s statements as “completely and utterly unacceptable” and “so disrespectful.”
“We are fully aware of our country’s strategic location,” Nielsen said.
Vance said Europeans were “bellyaching” and described Greenland as “critical” to U.S. national security. “We are going to make sure we defend America’s interests,” Vance said. “And I think the president is willing to go as far as he has to make sure he does that.”
How, precisely, the White House would do so is still unclear. The administration has kept military action firmly on the table while also saying it is mulling over trying to buy the territory.
The U.S. already has a long-standing defense agreement with Denmark to station troops in Greenland. But if the dynamic shifted from Greenland and Denmark consenting to a U.S. presence toward hostile U.S. action, this could wind up as a violation of international law.
Under the United Nations Charter, changes to what country controls a territory should not happen by using the military or by alluding to its possible use. U.S. actions in Venezuela in the early hours of Saturday, and renewed allusions to American moves against countries like Colombia and Mexico, further rattled American allies.
Many Greenlanders are in favor of eventually separating from Denmark, which still governs foreign and defense policy on the island. But opinion polls show the vast majority of Greenlanders do not want to become part of the U.S.
In December, Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland. Landry, in his first remarks about his new position, immediately angered Denmark by declaring his intention to “make Greenland a part of the U.S.”
Reviving the debate just after the U.S. attacked Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolás Maduro, Katie Miller—the wife of the White House deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller—had posted an image to social media that showed the American flag overlaid on the outline of Greenland. Miller’s post included the map with the word “SOON.”
Ted Lieu, Democratic congressman
