The United State was “not likely” to use military force against Greenland but it cannot be completely ruled out, Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said on Tuesday, as President Trump repeated his threat to seize control of the semiautonomous Danish territory.
Mr. Nielsen appeared at a news conference in the capital of Nuuk beside a former prime minister, Mute B. Egede, who said that territorial officials were reviewing their civil preparedness strategies. Those preparations could include asking all households to have five days of food supplies, Mr. Egede said.
“We must be prepared for all the things that may happen,” said Mr. Egede, who is now a member of Greenland’s parliament.
Both officials reiterated that Greenland — as part of the Danish kingdom — is part of NATO and warned that any escalation would have consequences beyond its shores. They also condemned Mr. Trump threats on social media, which Mr. Nielsen called “disrespectful.” He said Greenland would respond through formal channels.
So far, there has been no official call for Greenlanders to stock up on essential household supplies.
Similar messages from governments in the Nordic region have been issued to address rising threats in recent years. In late 2024, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway updated their advice for citizens preparing to survive war and other crises. At the time, their main concern was Russian aggression.
Mr. Trump’s insistence that the United States will take action regarding Greenland “whether they like it or not” has upended the longstanding international order.
The U.S. president, emboldened since the American military captured the Venezuelan president in a raid, has ramped up his rhetoric on Greenland, threatening to impose tariffs on longstanding European allies to force negotiations to take control of the massive island. The result has been that Greenland is afraid, Denmark is angry and Europe is standing in opposition to Mr. Trump.
Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, on Tuesday remained in Copenhagen to address Denmark’s parliament instead of attending the start of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. She said neither Danes nor Greenlanders had wished to become “the center of a conflict between the United States and Europe.”
Hours after Mr. Trump ratcheted up his feud with European leaders, Ms. Frederiksen described his actions as a threat to Danish territory and Greenland’s right to self-determination. She warned that neither the United States nor Denmark would benefit from a trade war.
“On both sides, a trade war will cost jobs,” she said, a day before Mr. Trump was expected to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “On both sides, it will harm the economy.”
Mr. Trump has repeatedly said control of Greenland is a matter of U.S. national security. On Monday, Denmark sent a small contingent of about 100 soldiers to western Greenland, along with the Danish army chief, Peter Boysen, the Danish state broadcaster reported.
Analysts have said Denmark’s move to increase its military presence in Greenland seemed to be part of an effort to show Mr. Trump that the country was taking his concerns about security seriously.
For their part, Greenland’s leaders have repeated their position that their island is not for sale and they do not want to be part of the United States. Mr. Nielsen, Greenland’s prime minister, said that if Greenlanders had to choose, they would rather stay aligned with Denmark, their former colonizer.
Amelia Nierenberg is a Times reporter covering international news from London.
The post Greenland’s Leader Says He Cannot Rule Out an American Attack appeared first on New York Times.
