By Issy Ronald, CNN
(CNN) — When US forces struck the Venezuelan capital and ousted the country’s president Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, it turned one of President Donald Trump’s rhetorical threats into reality.
In the days since, his frequent musings about other items on his foreign policy wishlist have rung with renewed force, especially his repeated desire for the US to take over Greenland – the vast autonomous Arctic territory ruled by Denmark.
In the wake of such a brazen display of US military power in Venezuela, this rhetoric has taken on a different character, straining Washington’s relationship with its NATO ally.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated Monday that she had already “made it very clear where the Kingdom of Denmark stands, and that Greenland has repeatedly said that it does not want to be part of the United States.”
She even warned that it could lead to the demise of the NATO alliance.
So why might Trump keep turning his attention to this remote, sparsely populated island – and why is it causing tensions with Europe?
Here’s what you need to know.
What is Greenland like?
Greenland, a resource-rich island of 836,000 square miles (2.16 million square kilometers) is a former Danish colony and now an autonomous territory of Denmark, situated in the Arctic.
It’s the world’s least densely populated country and is so remote that its 56,000 residents travel by boat, helicopter and plane between its towns, which are predominantly scattered along the island’s western coast. Nuuk, the territory’s capital city, is emblematic of those towns, featuring brightly colored houses crowed together between a jagged coastline and inland mountains.
Outside the towns, Greenland is mostly wilderness with 81% of its land under ice. Nearly 90% of its population is of Inuit origin and the territory’s economy has long revolved around fishing.
Why is it so important strategically?
Greenland occupies a strategic geopolitical position, sitting between the US and Europe and astride the so-called GIUK gap – a maritime passage between Greenland, Iceland, and the UK that links the Arctic to the Atlantic Ocean.
Its rich deposits of natural resources, including oil, gas and rare earth minerals, make it even more strategically important, especially as China has leveraged its domination of the rare earth industry to exert pressure on the US. These rare earth minerals are increasingly crucial to the global economy since they are required to manufacture everything from electric cars and wind turbines to military equipment.
Greenland’s trove of minerals may become more accessible as the climate crisis melts Arctic ice, a phenomenon which also makes northern shipping routes navigable for more time throughout the year, potentially reorienting trade and making the region even more important, despite Trump calling the climate crisis “the greatest con job.”
Trump has downplayed the significance of Greenland’s natural resources, telling reporters last month: “We need Greenland for national security, not for minerals.”
But his former national security adviser Mike Waltz suggested in January 2024 that Trump’s focus was on natural resources, telling Fox News that the administration’s focus on Greenland was “about critical minerals” and “natural resources.”
What does Venezuela have to do with it?
The day after US forces snatched Maduro from his home, Trump repeated that the US needs Greenland “from the standpoint of national security,” before White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller reiterated those claims on Monday, further sharpening the spotlight on the Arctic territory.
“We need Greenland…it’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One Sunday despite at first saying he didn’t want to talk about it. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”
What has Trump said before?
Trump inquired about the possibility of buying Greenland during his first term and, despite being told by the island that “Greenland is not for sale,” he revived those calls in December 2024, saying in a social media post: “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”
He claimed that the US needs Greenland for “economic security,” before Vice President JD Vance traveled to the island in March 2025 where he said it was “the policy of the United States” to see changes to the island’s Danish leadership but acknowledged that Greenlanders should decide their future.
Polling in Greenland shows clear opposition to becoming part of the US, with 85% of Greenlanders against American rule, Reuters reported.
What does this mean for NATO?
If the US uses military action to seize Greenland – something Trump has pointedly refused to rule out – it could fracture the NATO alliance.
Frederiksen said Monday that “if the US chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, everything stops, including NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of World War II.”
On Tuesday, leaders from major European powers expressed support for Denmark and Greenland, adding that Arctic security must be upheld collectively with NATO allies, including the US.
“Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain and Denmark said in a joint statement.
“NATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European Allies are stepping up.”
What do Greenlanders think?
Trump’s frequent posturing about Greenland strikes right at the heart of the territory’s politics, which has long been shaped by Denmark’s colonial legacy and a push for independence.
Greenland was incorporated into Denmark in 1953, as a tide of decolonization swept the globe following World War II. In 1979 it was granted home rule; in 2009 it achieved self-government but its foreign, security, defense and monetary policy are all still controlled by Denmark.
During recent election campaigns, Greenland’s politicians have promised to take steps towards independence but have not offered a concrete timeline to do so. While not all Greenlanders want independence from Denmark, few want to trade Danish for US leadership.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called the US’s rhetoric “completely unacceptable.”
“When the President of the United States speaks of ‘needing Greenland’ and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it is not just wrong. It is disrespectful,” he said in a statement.
“No more fantasies of annexation,” Nielsen added. “We are open to dialogue. We are open to discussions. But they must take place through the proper channels and in respect of international law … Greenland is our home and our territory. And it will remain so.”
According to Kuno Fencker, a member of parliament for the more pro-US Naleraq party, some of Trump’s comments have been “received quite well.”
“If he says Greenland has the right to self-determination or they could join the United States, it’s a big offer from the United States president,” Fencker told CNN.
“But if journalists are putting words in his mouth about annexing or taking Greenland military, that’s not been taken well,” he added.
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