Trump ties troop withdrawal from Europe to Greenland dispute – Frederiksen rejects US demand

Previously, a senior US official had made clear that, from Washington's perspective, a takeover of Greenland was the only way to address the long-term security risks surrounding the island. Trump justified his position by arguing that the Danish territory would otherwise not be safe from Russia and China, and that the United States consequently would not be either. Trump has repeatedly threatened in the past, openly, with a takeover of the strategically significant Arctic island.

Linking the troop withdrawal and Greenland

Aboard the presidential aircraft Air Force One, Trump directly tied the question of further troop withdrawals from Europe to the fate of Greenland. When asked whether he would withdraw more soldiers from Europe, Trump said: "Ich habe noch keine endgültige Entscheidung getroffen. Vieles wird von Grönland abhängen." With regard to a possible withdrawal, he added: "Vielleicht werde ich es tun."

The threat of a larger troop withdrawal is causing nervousness in Europe. According to available information, Trump is planning a troop withdrawal from Europe and is making its scope dependent on the outcome of the separate dispute over Greenland. In doing so, the US president is linking two security policy issues that have previously been negotiated separately in European capitals.

Tensions within the alliance

Trump's threats have not only offended the NATO ally Denmark, but have also fueled doubts about the cohesion of the military alliance. At the summit in Ankara, the alliance partners face the challenge of finding a common line in dealing with the US demand without further straining the transatlantic relationship.

From the US government's perspective, it is above all the security policy situation surrounding the Arctic island that is at issue. Washington argues that, given the presence of Russia and China in the region, Greenland must in the long term be under American control in order to prevent escalation. Denmark and Greenland itself see this assessment differently and point to Greenland's existing belonging to the Kingdom of Denmark as well as to its own security architecture.

Security policy background

The episode illustrates the growing tension between Washington and its European allies at the interface between conventional alliance policy and geopolitical pressure. While Trump frames Greenland as a security issue, critics in Copenhagen and other European capitals see it as an attempt to build leverage in negotiations. The Danish government has repeatedly stressed that sovereignty over Greenland is not negotiable.

The NATO summit in Ankara provides the framework within which these questions must now be negotiated among the alliance partners. Observers view Trump's appearance as another test of the alliance's resilience, since a possible troop withdrawal and the Greenland dispute would directly affect the alliance's security architecture. How the European partners will respond to the linkage of the two issues remains to be seen.

There is no final decision yet on Trump's further course of action. However, his remarks aboard Air Force One make clear that he continues to use the troop withdrawal as a lever in the Greenland dispute. As long as no agreement is reached on the island's future, the scope of a possible withdrawal remains open from the US president's perspective.