Donald Trump will use US support for Ukraine as a bargaining chip in order to secure Greenland, senior Nato officials fear.
The US President reiterated his threats to take control of the arctic island in a rambling speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, although he ruled out doing so by force.
Trump said he wanted “immediate negotiations” to “discuss the acquisition” of the Danish territory, claiming “this would not be a threat to Nato” but would instead “enhance” the trans-Atlantic alliance’s security.
UK and European leaders have so far rejected the President’s demands to acquire what he called the “big, beautiful piece of ice”.
‘Say no, and we will remember’
But in an ominous warning to Denmark and Greenland if they did not give into his demands, Trump said: “They have a choice: you can say yes and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no and we will remember.”
Senior officials at Nato told The i Paper that they feared the US President could threaten to pull vital support to Ukraine, if Denmark did not give in to his demands.
A senior Nato official expressed serious concern that “if we don’t give Greenland to the US they will stop supporting Ukraine.”
Another, when asked if Trump could use military or intelligence support for Ukraine as a lever in any negotiations over the Arctic island simply replied: “I do”.
It would not be the first time that Trump has used US intelligence as leverage in order to get his own way, having threatened to remove Canada from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance during a row over tariffs.
In March, he temporarily pulled vital intelligence-sharing from Ukraine in an attempt to force through a peace-deal with Russia.
Donald Trump during his speech in Davos (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images)The President’s Davos speech has reverberated across Europe and into Ukraine, where a military commander, who wished to remain anonymous, said “attempting to ‘give up’ Ukraine is really no sacrifice at all” for Trump, rather “it’s his preference.”
‘Trump will use coercion’
The comments were echoed by a former White House staffer, who said: “President Trump has a long memory for perceived slights. The President will surely find ways to extract some level of revenge – my fear would be that would come in the form of Ukraine military aide.”
John Foreman, UK defence attache to Moscow until 2022, said that Ukraine was one of “many sticks Trump could use to beat the Europeans into agreeing to handover Greenland”.
“He could cut off intelligence sharing, provision of advice, stop the purchase of US arms, and walk away from peace discussions leaving Europe owning the problem,” he added.
It was a view shared by former defence minister Tobias Ellwood, who said: “There’s a tectonic shift in relationships taking place that Europe doesn’t quite fully yet comprehend. Trump is on a mission, and he will use coercion to try to achieve it.”
Ellwood added that Trump is likely to deploy more troops to Greenland despite his comments ruling out force, as he has the power to do so under the existing terms of the US treaty with Denmark.
Starmer in rare attack on Trump
Sir Keir Starmer delivered a rare attack against the President during Prime Minister’s Questions over his attempts to seize Greenland, with the Prime Minister insisting he “will not yield” over the issue.
Starmer is expected to use Downing Street talks with Danish prime minister Mette Friedriksen Thursday to make a public show of support of Denmark and Greenland.
The PM is also likely to continue scoping out what compromises Denmark and Greenland might be willing to make to construct an off-ramp from the row for Trump, although the island’s sovereignty is an absolute red line.
As The i Paper revealed this week, efforts continue to show Europe takes Arctic security seriously and can defend Greenland.
It is understood that a key aspect of this includes convincing Trump that if he puts assets like Golden Dome missile defence on the island, they will be kept safe and secure in a way that lasts.
A Whitehall source said: “This is a position [on annexing Greenland] we fundamentally disagree with and have made that quite widely known.
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“But at the same time we want to give everybody an off-ramp on this without escalating.
“Sovereignty is not up for negotiation so the question is where you find the landing strip without escalating.”
Some in the UK Government believe the more radical elements of Trump’s administration and the Republican movement currently have his ear, and that other aspects of the US government are more sympathetic to the European position.
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