Should the US president go ahead with an operation, it could lead to “the destruction of NATO from the inside,” the Daily Mail has reported
RT: A map featuring Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Denmark is seen inside the Greenland Representative's office in Copenhagen, on March 25, 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark. © Getty Images
US
President Donald Trump has ordered his senior commanders to draw up a
plan for a potential invasion of Greenland – a move that could
potentially lead to a complete collapse of NATO, the Daily Mail reported
on Saturday, citing sources.
The US president has long sought to
take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory under Danish
sovereignty, citing security concerns and the need to deter Russia and
China, while not ruling out a military option to capture the island.
This stance has put him at loggerheads with the European members of
NATO, which have rallied behind Denmark.
According to the Daily
Mail, Trump asked the Joint Special Operations Command to prepare
invasion plans, but the Joint Chiefs of Staff are pushing back, arguing
that the move would be illegal and lack congressional support. One
source told the paper that senior generals “have tried to distract Trump by talking about less controversial measures,” such as a “strike on Iran.”
The report said that the push to seize Greenland was led by several
Trump advisers, including political aide Stephen Miller, who were
emboldened by the recent US attack on Venezuela and now want to move
quickly to secure the island before Russia or China could make a move.
One diplomatic source warned that the invasion could lead to “the destruction of NATO from the inside.” He added that some “European officials suspect this is the real aim of the hardline MAGA faction around Trump… Occupying Greenland could force the Europeans to abandon NATO. If Trump wants to end NATO, this might be the most convenient way to do it.”
British diplomats cited by the Daily Mail have
suggested that Trump views the Greenland operation as a way to distract
American voters from the state of the US economy ahead of the mid-term
elections. In this vein, one of the outlet’s sources suggested that
Trump could pursue an escalatory approach in the short term before
shifting toward a compromise.
Separately, the Daily Telegraph
reported that European NATO members are discussing possible deployments
to Greenland, including troops, ships, and aircraft, to guard the Arctic
and assuage Trump’s concerns.