U.S. ambitions collide with European defenses after Greenland move

Following the international uproar caused by the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, the Trump administration has hinted that Greenland should belong to the United States, escalating transatlantic tensions.

President Donald Trump and his team are weighing "a range of options" to acquire Denmark's Greenland, including "utilizing the U.S. military," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Tuesday.

Leavitt said that Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it's vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region.

Trump's special envoy to Greenland Jeff Landry told CNBC that "security should be a major concern for the United States" when asked about the Europeans' joint statement on Tuesday.

Asked whether security should be handled in conjunction with NATO, he said: "I think we should ask the Greenlanders."

Landry also said on Tuesday that Trump was offering Greenland economic opportunities but he did not think the president would take it by force.

"I think that the president supports an independent Greenland with economic ties and trade opportunities for the United States," Landry said, adding that the U.S. had more to offer than Europe.

European leaders rally behind Greenland

Leaders from major European powers and Canada rallied behind Greenland on Tuesday, saying the Arctic island belongs to its people.

"Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland," said a joint statement issued by the leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark.

Canada and the Netherlands also backed the statement.

The leaders said security in the Arctic must be achieved collectively with NATO allies, including the United States.

"NATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European Allies are stepping up," the statement said.

In a separate statement, Nordic foreign ministers – from Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark – also stressed Greenland's right to decide its own affairs, while noting they had increased their investments in Arctic security and offering to do more in consultation with the U.S. and other NATO allies.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters in Warsaw: "No member should attack or threaten another member of the NATO. Otherwise, NATO would lose its meaning."

Greenland wants 'peaceful dialogue'

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the European leaders' pledge of solidarity and renewed his call to the U.S. for a "respectful dialogue."

Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the United States.

Greenland's government said it had asked for an urgent meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alongside Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, to discuss the situation.

Asked whether he trusts Trump, Rasmussen said the Nordic nation trusts its membership of the NATO military alliance, of which it is a founding member alongside the U.S. and others.

Rasmussen rejected earlier statements by Trump that Denmark is unable to protect Greenland.

To fend off U.S. criticism over Greenland's defense capabilities, Denmark last year pledged 42 billion Danish crowns ($6.58 billion) to boost its military presence in the Arctic.

What the U.S. move means for its allies

Experts have cautioned that a U.S. move to take control of Greenland move could push NATO to the brink of rupture.

Rasmus Sinding Søndergaard, a senior researcher at Danish Institute for International Studies, told CGTN that if there is a U.S. military invasion of Greenland, the NATO alliance would in reality de facto cease to exist, though he thought that is unlikely.

Diao Daming, the deputy director of the National Academy of Development and Strategy at Renmin University of China, said the U.S. and Denmark are both NATO members, bound by Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, the collective defense clause. He added that it means the U.S. has a defense obligation toward Greenland, which is administered by Denmark, yet it now seeks to attack it.

"Such a behavior would inevitably trigger deep divisions within NATO. If this were to occur, it would represent not only the greatest betrayal and fragmentation of the U.S. alliance system, but also a grave violation of international law and international norms," Diao said.