NATO faces a major crisis over Greenland.
The US administration's idea of Greenland has put NATO in an unprecedented situation: one member could attack another member of the alliance.
According to CNN, the US threat to annex Greenland – an autonomous Danish island – has pushed NATO into an unprecedented situation: an alliance based on collective defense – where an attack on one member is an attack on the entire alliance – now faces the prospect of one member potentially attacking another.
The White House said on January 6 that the President is "discussing a range of options" to buy Greenland, clarifying that the possibility of using military force is not ruled out.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attempted to downplay concerns about military intervention, instead suggesting that the Trump administration was considering buying Greenland. However, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued a warning: "If the US chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything will stop, including NATO, and the security that has been in place since the end of World War II will cease to exist."
However, other European leaders have exercised caution, because while the U.S. may no longer be a reliable ally for Europe, it remains a necessary one. With Europe needing U.S. military and diplomatic support to push back against Russia, the White House's new threats to Greenland have put Europe in a dilemma: How can it get the U.S. to move away from Greenland, but still invest in Ukraine?
This tension was evident at the recent "Voluntary Alliance" conference in Paris, where representatives from 35 countries, including the US, discussed how to ensure Ukraine's post-war security should a peace agreement with Russia be reached. Although the meeting proceeded smoothly and resulted in concrete commitments, the atmosphere became tense due to thorny questions at a press conference regarding Greenland. British and French leaders evaded questions from the press about Greenland.
Mujtaba Rahman, Europe managing director at Eurasia Group, a political risk consulting firm, said that while many are calling for Europe to take a tougher stance against the US, they lack the leverage to do so.
"Many European leaders want to speak tough to the U.S. They want to be able to stand up and call for what they're seeing, but they simply aren't in a position to do so, because for a very long time they've depended on the U.S. for their security," Rahman told CNN.
In contrast to that view, Daniel Fried, a veteran American diplomat, told CNN that the "old continent" still has considerable leverage, despite Europe's military dependence on the United States.
“There are many areas where European defense suppliers compete with the U.S. We are not the only ones building fighter jets,” said former diplomat Fried, who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Europe under President George W. Bush. Europe may decide that advanced drone technology is something they will not share with the Americans if the U.S. continues to exert pressure.”
Some voices in Europe have called for more dramatic, immediate action. Raphael Glucksmann, a French member of the European Parliament, has urged the EU to establish a permanent military base in Greenland, which he said would "send a strong signal to President Trump and counter the American argument that we are incapable of guaranteeing Greenland's security."
