ANKARA, Turkey — Denmark has pledged to defend its territory, including Greenland, following renewed assertions by U.S. President Donald Trump that the United States should control the semiautonomous Danish territory. The remarks disrupted a NATO summit in Turkey intended to demonstrate alliance unity and strength.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated her country is "ready to defend every inch of NATO including our own territory" in the event of an attack and emphasized reliance on NATO allies to uphold mutual defense commitments. She also called for respect for the Greenland people’s right to self-determination, declaring, "Greenland is of course not for sale."
Iceland’s Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir echoed this sentiment, affirming that Greenland "belongs to the people of Greenland" and urged unity among allies.
The renewed U.S. interest in Greenland has raised concerns about the future of NATO, an alliance founded in 1949 to counter threats to European security posed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Meanwhile, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte defended recent U.S. strikes on Iran, which followed Tehran’s attack on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz, calling the strikes "absolutely necessary" given Iran’s violation of a ceasefire.
Rutte also highlighted increased defense spending by European allies and Canada, referring to the $1.2 trillion added since 2017 as the "Trump Trillion." However, NATO figures released recently indicate that countries including Slovenia, Belgium, Spain, and the Czech Republic are struggling to meet the alliance’s target of investing 2% of their GDP in defense.
At the summit, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) expressed hope for a renewed commitment to Ukraine, citing momentum in Ukraine’s favor and the need to increase pressure on Russia to negotiate.
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