Spain joined several other EU nations on Tuesday in rejecting remarks by US President Donald Trump that suggest Greenland should come under American control.
In a joint declaration, leaders stressed that the Arctic island — rich in strategic resources — ‘belongs to its people’.
The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom joined Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in signing the statement, alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, underlining Greenland’s sovereignty after Trump renewed his interest in the territory.
Greenland is self-governing but remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark and, through Denmark, a member of the NATO alliance.
‘Greenland belongs to its people,’ the statement said. ‘It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.’
Canada also weighed in. Prime Minister Mark Carney voiced his backing for Denmark and announced that Canada’s Governor General Mary Simon — who is of Inuk heritage — and Foreign Minister Anita Anand would travel to Greenland early next month.
‘The future of Greenland and Denmark are decided solely by the people of Denmark,’ Carney said while standing alongside Frederiksen at the Canadian Embassy in Paris.
Despite those responses, the White House has reiterated its stance.
Stephen Miller, the deputy chief of staff, said on Monday that Greenland should be incorporated into the United States, dismissing Frederiksen’s warning that such a move would effectively spell the end of NATO.
‘The president has been clear for months now that the United States should be the nation that has Greenland as part of our overall security apparatus,’ Miller said during a CNN interview on Monday afternoon.
His remarks followed a coordinated rejection by Frederiksen, Greenland’s prime minister and several European leaders of Trump’s renewed push for US control of the island, which came after a US military operation in Venezuela over the weekend. ALSO READ: As Venezuelans rejoice in Madrid, Sánchez warns against US intervention that violates international law.
Trump has argued that Washington needs Greenland to safeguard NATO interests amid growing Chinese and Russian activity in the Arctic. ‘It’s so strategic right now,’ he told reporters on Sunday.
‘Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,’ Trump said. ‘¡We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.’
Miller, in the same interview, questioned Denmark’s authority over the territory. ‘What is the basis of their territorial claim?’ he asked. ‘What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark?’
He also downplayed any suggestion of military force. ‘There is no need to even think or talk about this in the context that you are asking, of a military operation. Nobody is going to fight the US militarily over the future of Greenland,’ he said.
Greenland holds strategic importance
Greenland was a Danish colony for centuries before becoming an integral part of the kingdom in 1953. The United States formally recogniced Denmark’s sovereignty over the entire island in the early 20th century.
A 2009 law granting Greenland expanded self-rule also affirmed its right to independence under international law — a goal supported by most of the island’s population.
Located northeast of Canada, with more than two-thirds of its landmass inside the Arctic Circle, Greenland has long been seen as vital to North American defence, particularly since World War II.
The US military already operates the Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland, established under a 1951 defence agreement with Denmark. The base plays a role in missile warning, missile defence and space surveillance for both the United States and NATO.
Greenland also overlooks part of the GIUK Gap — the maritime corridor between Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom — where NATO tracks Russian naval movements in the North Atlantic.
In addition, the island has substantial reserves of rare earth minerals used in products ranging from smartphones and computers to batteries and renewable energy technologies. The US Geological Survey has also identified possible offshore oil and gas reserves.
Dispute creates major anxiety
What began as a social media post over the weekend has since heightened Danish concerns.
Katie Miller, a former Trump administration official and now a podcaster, shared an illustration of Greenland coloured like the US flag with the caption: ‘SOON’ (see below).
Trump’s comments on Sunday — including telling reporters ‘let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days’ — intensified fears in Copenhagen that Washington might be contemplating swift action.
Frederiksen said on Monday that Trump’s statements ‘should be taken seriously’.
‘If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops,’ she told Danish broadcaster TV2. ‘That is, including our NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War.’
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen sought to strike a calmer tone, emphasising the importance of cooperation with Washington. ‘We are not in a situation where we think that there might be a takeover of the country overnight and that is why we are insisting that we want good cooperation,’ he said on Monday night.
Subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter from Spain in English.
SOON pic.twitter.com/XU6VmZxph3
— Katie Miller (@KatieMiller) January 3, 2026
España reitera, junto a Alemania, Francia, Italia, Polonia y Reino Unido, su firme apoyo a Dinamarca y al pueblo de Groenlandia.
El respeto a la soberanía de los países es esencial para la paz. Esa fue la mayor lección que nos legó el siglo XX. No la olvidemos.…
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) January 6, 2026
Click here to get your business activity or services listed on our DIRECTORY.