President Donald Trump has revived his call for the United States to acquire Greenland, threatening to withdraw all American armed forces from Europe if allies continue to resist. Speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump criticised Denmark for failing to invest in the territory and argued that it should be controlled by the US due to its strategic importance, surrounded by Chinese and Russian ships.
Trump also warned that Europe must address immigration and energy policies or risk collapse, saying that if they are not careful, “you’re not going to have a Europe any more.” He suggested that the dispute over Greenland had damaged his relationship with the military alliance, and reiterated that NATO allies are overly reliant on the US for defence spending.
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves responded firmly, stating that the future of Greenland is a matter for its people and Denmark, not the US president. The remark follows a pattern of tension between Washington and European allies, with the UK having already pushed back against US criticism that some NATO members are lagging behind on funding targets.
Trump also took aim at the late UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to stay out of the war against Iran, claiming it was “unpopular” and may have contributed to his downfall. However, the stance was in fact popular with the British public. Trump’s comments come as the UK leads a £37 billion European project to develop a long-range missile capable of striking deep behind Russian lines, aiming to reduce NATO’s dependence on the US.
Meanwhile, the UK is exploring off-balance sheet financing for defence, potentially merging with a Canadian-led initiative that would provide access to £86 billion in lending for defence projects. This move is seen as an attempt to meet NATO’s 3.5% GDP spending target by 2035 without straining public finances.
