Greenland dispute pushes US–UK security ties to lowest since 1950s NATO source tells journalists

Donald Trump’s proposal for a US takeover of Greenland is deepening divisions within NATO and has led some officials to limit intelligence sharing with Washington, according to sources on both sides of the Atlantic.

Officials warn that the US–UK security relationship has fallen to its weakest point since the 1950s, a development they say is placing European security at risk. For more than seven decades, the so-called special relationship between Britain and the United States has been a central pillar of the Western alliance, underpinned by close cooperation between intelligence and military services in responding to threats ranging from conventional warfare to covert operations.

That foundation is now being shaken by Trump’s stated ambition to acquire Greenland on national security grounds, which sources say has eroded trust and undermined long-standing agreements. A senior NATO source told The i Paper that the issue has created serious friction within the alliance.

“It is creating tensions and distrust between European and US colleagues in NATO,” the source said. “American colleagues have come to me and said sorry, one has apologised on behalf of his nation.”

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the NATO insider said officials are no longer communicating openly amid fears that sensitive information could reach Trump and be used to justify a potential attempt to seize Greenland by force.

“We used to get beers together but now its really strange. I have been fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan side-by-side with Americans. This is very disruptive in a way that I have never thought of before because it is so unrealistic and surprising.”

The source added that some NATO staff feel the country “we all looked up to and appreciate” has now “stabbed us in the back”.

Against this backdrop, delegations from the UK, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland have travelled to Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, to develop plans for an allied military presence intended to send a signal to Trump, who has declined to rule out taking control of Greenland. The US president has also pledged to impose new tariffs on eight NATO allies if they attempt to block his proposed takeover.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Monday, January 19, that Britain would continue its close intelligence-sharing relationship with the United States despite Trump’s threats.

“We are involved on a daily basis,” Starmer said, describing it as “the closest relationship between any two countries in the world – and that keeps us safe in ways that I can’t explain to you”.

A UK intelligence source described the deterioration in relations between the White House and its allies as “unprecedented,” warning that the “individual political turmoil” associated with Trump would inevitably affect intelligence cooperation.

A source within US intelligence went further, characterising the president’s actions as “alliance-breaking moves which could thoroughly alter the global order for decades to come”.

Intelligence cooperation between Britain and the United States dates back to the secret 1941 Sinkov Mission, which involved sharing information on Japanese and German ciphers at Bletchley Park before the US formally entered World War II. This cooperation later evolved into the UKUSA Agreement—commonly known as “Two Eyes”—and expanded into the Five Eyes alliance, which also includes Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

According to the UK intelligence source, Trump’s latest threats have fuelled perceptions that Britain is no longer treated as a Two Eyes partner, but instead regarded as “just part of Europe”.

Dr Dan Lomas, a security and intelligence specialist at the University of Nottingham, said Trump’s second term has had a “destabilising effect” on trust between intelligence agencies and warned that this could develop into a “long-term problem”. He added that the situation would force the UK to “double down” on strengthening cooperation with European partners.

Rory Cormac, professor of international relations at the University of Nottingham, said the current strain recalls the 1956 Suez Crisis, the last time US–UK relations were under comparable pressure.

“Claims of specialness should always be taken with a pinch of salt but this is certainly the biggest test the UK-US intelligence relationship in recent years,” he said. “You’d have to go back to Suez, which, for now, trumps this crisis.”

By Tamilla Hasanova