Media: Europe scrambles to block Trump’s Greenland gambit

European governments are urgently reassessing their options after Donald Trump revived threats to seize Greenland, with EU diplomats warning that the U.S. president’s rhetoric has moved from provocation to a credible challenge to Europe’s security order, Politico writes.

“If European governments didn't realise before that Donald Trump’s threats to seize Greenland were serious, they do now,” said one senior EU diplomat, as Washington again raised the possibility of using military force to take the Danish territory.

“We must be ready for a direct confrontation with Trump,” the diplomat said. “He is in an aggressive mode, and we need to be geared up.”

The alarm intensified on January 7 after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would discuss a potential U.S. acquisition of Greenland with Danish officials next week. The White House said Trump would prefer a negotiated outcome — including a possible purchase — but did not rule out a military takeover.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said he had discussed a coordinated response with counterparts from Germany and Poland. “What is at stake is the question of how Europe, the EU, can be strengthened to deter threats, attempts on its security and interests,” Barrot told reporters. “Greenland is not for sale, and it is not for taking ... so the threats must stop.”

Behind closed doors, officials admit Europe is ill-prepared. “Everyone is very stunned and unaware of what we actually have in the toolbox,” 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 or five or seven years.”

Seeking a compromise

One path under discussion is a negotiated settlement that allows Trump to claim a strategic win without altering sovereignty. Trump argues Greenland is vital to U.S. security and accuses Denmark of failing to counter Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic.

A former senior NATO official suggested the alliance could mediate, as it has done in disputes between Türkiye and Greece. NATO allies are also considering steps to reinforce Arctic security, including more military exercises and a stronger troop presence.

U.S. NATO Ambassador Matthew Whitaker underscored Washington’s concerns. “As the ice thaws and as the routes in the Arctic and the High North open up … Greenland becomes a very serious security risk for the mainland of the United States of America.”

Some diplomats have floated an “Arctic Sentry” initiative, shifting NATO assets northward to reassure Washington. “Anything that can be done” to meet Trump’s demands “should be maxed out,” said one NATO diplomat.

Money and minerals

Another strategy is economic. The Trump administration has backed Greenland’s independence movement, promising large-scale U.S. investment if the island breaks from Denmark. Brussels and Copenhagen are countering with cash of their own.

Under draft EU budget plans, spending on Greenland would almost double to €530 million for 2028–2034, with additional funding available for remote territories. The focus would expand beyond welfare and education to include mineral extraction.

“We have many, many people below the poverty line, and the infrastructure in Greenland is lagging, and our resources are primarily taken out without good profit to Greenland but mostly profit to Danish companies,” said Kuno Fencker, a pro-independence Greenlandic opposition MP.

Economic and military risks

Europe also holds a potential trade weapon: the EU’s Anti-Coercion Instrument. With exports to the U.S. exceeding €600 billion, Brussels could retaliate economically — if Trump believes the threat is real.

“If the U.S. does decide to take Greenland by military force, there’s little Europeans could do to prevent it,” warned Thomas Crosbie of the Royal Danish Defence College. “This is completely unexplored territory, but it is quite possible that people's lives will be lost in the attempt to reject the American claim over Greenland.”

For now, Europe is racing to deter a scenario few imagined possible: defending itself not from a rival power, but from its closest ally.