Greenland's Prime Minister on Tuesday issued a stark warning, saying that the Arctic island must begin preparing for the possibility of a military invasion
by US as President Donald Trump has continued to suggest that America should take control of the territory. Speaking at a news conference in the capital Nuuk, Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said Greenland was facing growing pressure. "It's not likely there will be a military conflict, but it can't be ruled out," Nielsen said. He announced that the government would establish a task force involving relevant local authorities to help the population prepare for potential disruptions to daily life. New guidance is being drawn up for residents, including advice to keep enough food supplies at home for five days. Trump has previously said the United States needs to own Greenland for security reasons and on Tuesday posted an AI-generated image of himself planting a US flag on the island. Greenland, which has a population of about 57,000, is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, although it governs most domestic affairs, with defence and foreign policy handled by Copenhagen. Denmark has in recent days increased its military presence on the island as part of efforts to strengthen Arctic defence. Greenland's finance minister and former leader, Mute B Egede, said the territory was under "a lot of pressure" and needed to be ready for "all scenarios".
Elsewhere, Canada's military has modelled how it would respond to a potential US invasion, according to a report by the Globe and Mail, citing unnamed officials. The report said the officials considered such a scenario to be highly unlikely, despite Trump previously referring to Canada as a possible 51st US state.
Last week, Denmark and seven other NATO countries deployed a small number of officers to Greenland under Operation Arctic Endurance. Denmark's Joint Arctic Command is expected to expand military exercises on the island, potentially on a year-round basis, according to a Greenlandic newspaper.
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Tensions have also risen over trade after Trump threatened on Saturday to impose new tariffs from February 1 on eight NATO allies sending military personnel to the region.
Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that Europe would be forced to respond if the tariffs were introduced, saying there could be "major consequences" on both sides of the Atlantic.
"If a trade war is launched against us, which I cannot recommend, then we must of course respond. We would be forced to do so," she told Denmark's parliament. "I hope we do not get to that point. I hope that we succeed in convincing the Americans that this is not the path we should take."
