Fresh telephone from U.S. president to annex the land pushes European leaders to unite down Denmark.
European leaders, alongside NATO main Mark Rutte, person gone to large lengths to support Donald Trump happy. | Win McNamee/Getty Images
July 8, 2026 12:14 p.m. CET
ANKARA, Turkey — European leaders connected Wednesday had a steadfast informing for Donald Trump arsenic helium revived his crusade to prehend Greenland: Leave the Danish territory alone.
“We are acceptable to support each inch of NATO, including our ain territory,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters arsenic she arrived astatine a gathering of the confederation leaders successful Ankara. “One of the reasons wherefore we built NATO many, galore years agone is if thing happens to 1 of america past everybody should basal up for each other.”
The remarks came aft Trump connected Tuesday said that “Greenland … should beryllium controlled by the United States, not by Denmark” astatine the outset of NATO’s yearly acme successful Turkey.
“I’m not blessed with NATO due to the fact that of what they did with Greenland,” helium added Wednesday.
Trump’s effort successful January to instrumentality implicit the land — including his refusal to regularisation retired the usage of unit — and European allies sending troops to Greenland successful effect brought NATO to the brink of implosion.
Reviving the contented threatens to derail the delicate gathering of 32 leaders successful Turkey.
European leaders, alongside NATO main Mark Rutte, person gone to large lengths to support Trump blessed and play down divisions arsenic they question to showcase unity — adjacent arsenic helium continues to berate allies implicit defence spending and their reluctance to articulation the U.S. warfare successful Iran.
They besides item that Canada and European allies person dramatically accrued defence spending successful enactment with Trump’s demands successful caller years, making his existent complaints little relevant.
Ahead of the meeting, leaders underlined the request to effort to speech done immoderate struggle with the U.S.
“When it comes to Denmark and Greenland itself we person a bully process successful place,” Rutte said up of the three-hour leaders' gathering connected Wednesday.
“Allies tin lick the problems wrong NATO,” said Polish President Karol Nawrocki. “I’m definite that we volition lick the problems astir the galore planetary issues.”
“If you are asking, is NATO working, and if I americium assured that NATO is working, I americium perfectly confident,” said Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal.
Yet European optimism implicit the acme soured aft Trump’s accomplishment and his comments connected Greenland, with leaders sending a wide awesome for Trump to backmost off.
“That benignant of statement, that benignant of claim, Norway distances itself from,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said. “We enactment Denmark, and we enactment stableness successful the Nordics.”
“The lines successful the soil are clear: Greenland belongs to the radical of Greenland,” Icelandic premier Kristrún Frostadóttir told reporters.
In a motion of Europe's hardening connected the issue, that informing came adjacent from 1 of Washington's staunchest allies successful NATO. “Greenland is an indispensable portion of Denmark,” Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs said.
Laura Kayali and Jack Detsch contributed to this report.
CORRECTION: An earlier mentation of this communicative misattributed a punctuation connected Greenland. This nonfiction was updated July 8 to clarify it was said by Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs.
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