Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's Prime Minister, has escalated her warning to US President Donald Trump that a takeover of Greenland would be catastrophic and mark the end of NATO, after the US president renewed his calls for US control over the strategic island in the aftermath of a weekend military operation in Venezuela.
The Danish leader made her comments on Monday, following an operation by US forces in Caracas to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The move has heightened concerns in Denmark and Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of the Danish kingdom and thus part of NATO.
Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster TV2 that if the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, "then everything stops." She also warned that the US's repeated calls for control over Greenland are a serious threat to the security provided by NATO since the end of World War II.
Greenlandic counterpart Jens Frederik Nielsen also warned that an American takeover would be catastrophic and that Greenland could not be compared to Venezuela. He urged his constituents to stay calm and united, saying "we will not accept a situation where we and Greenland are threatened in this way."
The US operates the remote Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, which supports missile warning, missile defense, and space surveillance operations for the US and NATO. However, Danish Ambassador Jesper Mller Srensen has responded to criticism that Denmark is ceding sovereignty by pointing out that the partnership between the US and Denmark has been long-lasting.
Critics say however that recent legislation allowing US troops to operate on Danish soil widens a previous military agreement made with the Biden administration and effectively cedes Danish sovereignty.
The Danish leader made her comments on Monday, following an operation by US forces in Caracas to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The move has heightened concerns in Denmark and Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of the Danish kingdom and thus part of NATO.
Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster TV2 that if the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, "then everything stops." She also warned that the US's repeated calls for control over Greenland are a serious threat to the security provided by NATO since the end of World War II.
Greenlandic counterpart Jens Frederik Nielsen also warned that an American takeover would be catastrophic and that Greenland could not be compared to Venezuela. He urged his constituents to stay calm and united, saying "we will not accept a situation where we and Greenland are threatened in this way."
The US operates the remote Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, which supports missile warning, missile defense, and space surveillance operations for the US and NATO. However, Danish Ambassador Jesper Mller Srensen has responded to criticism that Denmark is ceding sovereignty by pointing out that the partnership between the US and Denmark has been long-lasting.
Critics say however that recent legislation allowing US troops to operate on Danish soil widens a previous military agreement made with the Biden administration and effectively cedes Danish sovereignty.
. I mean, I get it, national security and all that, but Mette Frederiksen's warning to Trump is not just about Greenland, it's about the entire NATO alliance 
. If the US thinks they can just muscle in on our friends' sovereignty, they're messing with a whole different ball game 
.
. It's like, we get it, we have a long history of cooperation, but that doesn't mean we have to let our guard down.
. I mean, sure, Venezuela has its own set of problems, but it's not like the US is going to take over Greenland and start selling our ice caps on eBay 
. No way, no how! 
. Remember when the world was so divided and nuclear threats were real? It's crazy to think that a US takeover of Greenland could be seen as catastrophic, but then again, we have to consider the whole history of NATO and how it came to be 
. And what about the Pituffik Space Base? It feels like we're playing a game of military one-upmanship 
. I just hope we can find some common ground and not go down this road again 
.
. It's not just about Greenland, it's about the precedent we set for other countries to follow.
? Either way, I think Frederiksen and Jens Frederik Nielsen are onto something – we need to be vigilant about our sovereignty and security as a global community 
.
. If the US is gonna attack another country, they better have a solid plan or else everyone's gonna be like "peace out" 
. All this drama and nobody's talking about the real issue - what does it all mean for Denmark and Greenland in the long run 
. Like, what's up with the US wanting to control Greenland? Is it like, because of some secret space base or something? 
.
and jens frederik nielsen just told his people to stay calm but like, how can we stay calm when our country's being threatened?? 
greenland is literally next to denmark and if the US takes over, it's like nato just failed. 
all these threats and warnings are super stressful for people who care about NATO and Denmark's security 
the fact that Jens Frederik Nielsen is telling his constituents to stay calm might not be enough to ease their minds 
instead of making empty threats or trying to downplay everything