WIREDGOV

EXPERT COMMENT

US threats to annex Greenland following the attack on Venezuela should be taken seriously. European countries have important leverage they should be prepared to use.

Since the US attack on Venezuela and capture of Nicolás Maduro, various US government officials, influencers close to the MAGA movement and President Donald Trump himself have reiterated threats against Greenland.

Their claims, that the US needs to control Greenland for its own national security, have caused even greater alarm in Denmark than when they were first made earlier in 2025 – Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark.

President Trump claims that the US ‘needs’ Greenland because of its strategic location in the Arctic. It is true to say that both Russia and China have increased their military activities in the Arctic in recent years. And, if Russia launched missiles at the US, they would likely fly over Greenland. That could make the territory a useful staging ground for a greater US presence and a strategic location to place US missile interceptors, as part of the ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence system – a priority for the Trump administration.

Click here to continue reading the full version of this Expert Comment on the Chatham House website.