On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump posted an image of himself placing the U.S. flag on the territory of Greenland on his social media platform, Truth Social.

In the image, Trump is accompanied by U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with a sign nearby reading "GREENLAND – US TERRITORY EST. 2026."

Regarding Trump's continued expression of his determination on the matter, European leaders responded with affirmations of their grounds to protect the sovereignty of Denmark while being careful not to escalate the situation.

European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said they have "no interest to pick a fight, but we will hold our ground."

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen reiterated the country's bottom line as he said, "We have red lines that can't be crossed." "You can't threaten your way to ownership of Greenland. I have no intention of escalating this situation," he added.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday said Europeans want to "avoid any escalation in this dispute if at all possible," while reminding the US administration that EU countries "could also retaliate."

(With input from Xinhua)