Facing Trump’s “forcible takeover” of Greenland, Europe is baffled.

U.S. President Trump once again emphasized his determination to take Greenland on Friday, with European anxieties peaking this week.

According to Xinhua News Agency, on the afternoon of the 9th, Trump reiterated during a meeting at the White House with oil executives that the United States needs to acquire Greenland. He stated:

I want to make a deal the easy way, but if the easy way doesn't work, we'll take the tough way.

Trump said at this stage he has not yet considered the financing issue of "purchasing" Greenland. His remarks have already triggered strong reactions on both sides of the Atlantic. Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK previously issued a joint statement, stressing that only Denmark and Greenland have the right to decide matters concerning themselves.

According to reports, more than a dozen diplomats, officials, and lawmakers involved in related discussions revealed that Europe acknowledges it currently has no established strategy to respond to Trump’s threat and admits it cannot truly understand Trump’s intentions or know how to repair these increasingly hostile relations.

Trump’s previous actions in Venezuela showed his determination to disregard international norms, and now turning such military threats toward an ally means transatlantic relations are on the verge of breaking.

Earlier this week, Denmark’s Prime Minister warned that an American attack on Greenland would mean the end of the NATO alliance. Analysts point out that the EU was not designed to replace NATO in such crises, which will cause national military forces to lose mechanisms for coordinated operations.

Chaos and Helplessness

Although Denmark still hopes next week's diplomatic visit can ease tensions, European leaders are now in a dilemma.

On one hand, they are trying to comfort Trump by proposing "joint defense of Greenland against China and Russia," while on the other hand they worry such moves might backfire.

Privately, European officials are running through all sorts of worrying scenarios—from direct military invasion, to Trump using the island as leverage in the Ukraine issue, or even using any anti-American protests on Greenland as a pretext for deploying troops.

For European policymakers, a direct conflict with their biggest ally would bring incalculable costs, but concessions would mean not only great humiliation, but would also severely weaken Europe's ambition to project power globally.

Ian Lesser, a Distinguished Fellow at the German Marshall Fund, stated bluntly:

The transatlantic relationship is on the verge of a fundamental rupture.

This chaos stems from deep confusion about Trump’s intentions. Since first proposing the idea to buy Greenland in 2019, Trump's attitude has shifted from being seen as a joke to a serious political agenda.

After failing to achieve his goal in his first term, now in his second term, Trump has shown a willingness to break laws and alliances in order to get what he wants.

Diplomatic “First Aid”

Faced with an imminent crisis, European officials are frantically conducting telephone diplomacy.

Matthew Whitaker, U.S. Ambassador to NATO, has been overwhelmed by calls from anxious European diplomats this week seeking to clarify the seriousness of Trump’s remarks. French President Macron told French ambassadors on Thursday:

We are caught up in a very surprising game, with us French and other Europeans forced to accept an anti-colonialist rhetoric that is long divorced from reality.

Macron added:

People speculate daily about whether Greenland will be invaded, or whether Canada will face the threat of becoming the 51st American state.

The Danish government at the center of the storm has adopted a strategy described by local lawmakers as "good cop, bad cop."

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has firmly rejected Trump's demands in public and warned that if America attacks a NATO ally, all security mechanisms will cease to function.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen has been dispatched to Washington to look for a diplomatic solution, trying to prove to U.S. Secretary of State Rubio that better security objectives can be achieved through the NATO framework.

At the same time, the UK is also trying to play a mediating role. Prime Minister Starmer has spoken with Trump twice this week, defending Denmark's position and promising to jointly combat Russian activities in the Arctic.

British officials have even used the recent case of helping the U.S. seize a Russia-linked oil tanker to show Washington the value of Europe as a security partner.

However, in Copenhagen, Denmark, anxiety remains high, and the frequency of intelligence briefings to parliamentary committees is unusually intense, reflecting the country’s deep concern for the future.

Arctic Geopolitical Game

Behind this series of “bare-handed” political maneuvers, Greenland, because of its strategic value, has become Trump’s perfect prey.

The island is located in the resource-rich and strategically critical Arctic region. Not only is Russian ambition in this area swelling, but the U.S. has had a special military presence here through a 1951 defense agreement.

Although Greenland theoretically enjoys NATO protection in this political gray zone, it is neither an official member of the EU nor NATO, and it lacks a standing army—which makes it the "ideal target" in Trump's eyes.

Trump’s team has even publicly stated that no one would go to war with America over this remoted land. U.S. Vice President Vance was even more direct on Thursday:

We ask our European friends to take the security of that land more seriously. If they don't, the United States will have to take action.

Regarding Russia's Arctic ambitions to open new shipping routes with melting ice, NATO has begun to implement more cohesive security measures. But from Trump’s perspective, these actions are clearly too slow.

For Trump, taking Greenland is not only about geopolitics. Amid frequent geopolitical hot spots, carrying out the unfinished work of previous presidents represents an immensely attractive historic gesture to him.

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