Former U.S. NATO Ambassador Nicholas Burns warned on July 8, 2026, that President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to take over Greenland are damaging the bonds of trust within the NATO alliance. Burns, who served as the U.S. envoy to NATO during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks—the only time the alliance’s Article 5 mutual defense pact was invoked—highlighted the importance of alliance solidarity in an interview on CNN.

"Within 24 hours, they had pledged to defend us," Burns said, emphasizing how Trump’s disparaging and critical remarks toward NATO leaders and the alliance itself are eroding trust among member countries. He added, "And I think what he‘s done on Greenland, he‘s broken the bond of trust that is at the heart of the NATO alliance."

At the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump reiterated his position that "Greenland… that should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark," referring to the semi-autonomous territory belonging to the Kingdom of Denmark, a NATO ally. Burns noted the strategic importance of NATO for the U.S., especially given threats from Russian President Vladimir Putin and the ongoing war in Ukraine. He also pointed out that most NATO allies spend below 2% of their gross domestic product on defense.

Burns concluded with a critique of Trump’s approach: "He‘s living in some other century, but not the century we‘re living in."

Sources