President Donald Trump is reportedly moving ahead with serious plans for a potential US military invasion of Greenland, a move that has sent shockwaves through diplomatic circles and threatens the unity of the NATO alliance.
From Venezuela to the Arctic: A Bold New Ambition
According to insiders cited by the Daily Mail, the US President has instructed his Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) to draw up detailed plans for seizing the world's largest island. This alarming development follows what Trump perceives as a successful operation in Venezuela, where the regime of Nicolas Maduro was recently overthrown.
Sources claim that Trump, feeling emboldened by the capture of Maduro, is now pushing his military chiefs to act on his long-held ambition regarding Greenland. He has allegedly been met with significant internal resistance, with chiefs of staff arguing that a ground invasion of the Danish autonomous territory would be illegal and unlikely to gain congressional approval.
Despite this pushback, key policy advisors close to the President, including the controversial Stephen Miller, are reportedly urging him to capitalise on the momentum from Venezuela and pursue the Greenland takeover aggressively.
"We Need to Own Greenland": Trump's Security Justification
Trump publicly laid out his reasoning this week, telling reporters that the United States must "own" Greenland outright to defend against growing threats from Russia and China. He dismissed the current arrangement of military bases as insufficient, stating, "Countries have to have ownership and you defend ownership, you don't defend leases. And we'll have to defend Greenland."
He has repeatedly framed the island as crucial to US national security, claiming it is "covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place." This rhetoric persists despite his administration's often cosy relationships with both President Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping.
In an attempt to divert the President's focus, aides have allegedly suggested alternative actions, such as intercepting Russian 'ghost' ships used to evade sanctions or launching a strike on Iran.
NATO on the Brink: UK and Allied Reactions
The potential invasion has placed the NATO alliance in an unprecedented predicament, as both the United States and Denmark are founding members. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has already voiced strong opposition, warning that such an act against a NATO ally would effectively lead to the alliance's collapse.
In response, Westminster is actively engaged in talks with allies about formulating a potential NATO mission to Greenland. This mission would aim to guard against genuine Russian aggression in the Arctic, presenting a lawful, alliance-backed alternative to a unilateral US invasion.
Speaking to Sky News, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander indicated the UK's stance, saying, "You would expect us to be talking to all our allies in NATO about what we can do to deter Russian aggression in the Arctic Circle." She emphasised the UK's leading role in the Joint Expeditionary Force, a ten-nation coalition focused on defence in the High North.
The situation creates a profound diplomatic and military crisis, pitting a US President's expansionist ambitions against the foundational principles of the Western alliance he once led.
