US invasion would be an attack on all Nato allies, says Greenland minister

A US invasion of Greenland would be an attack on all Nato allies, the territory’s energy minister has said.

Greenland’s energy minister Naaja Nathanielsen told a press conference in Westminster on Tuesday that American military action would represent “the breakdown of the rule of law” and leave Western allies having to “figure out what is this new world order about”.

Asked whether Greenland would expect Nato support in the event of an invasion, she said: “I really cannot answer your question, because it implies that it would be one country being attacked by another Nato partner, but actually we would all be under attack.”

Ms Nathanielsen added that Greenland felt “betrayed” by Donald Trump’s demands to annex the semi-autonomous Danish territory.

She said: “We feel that the rhetoric is offensive, as we have said many times before, but also bewildering because we have done nothing but support the notion that Greenland is a part of the American national self-interest.”

Earlier, Ms Nathanielsen addressed MPs at an event organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Greenland, whose chairman, Brendan O’Hara, said the view of his colleagues was “unequivocal in saying that the future of Greenland is a matter for the people of Greenland, and only for the people of Greenland”.

Her visit came as the US continued to threaten to take over the territory, which Mr Trump insists is vital for American national security.

On Monday, a member of Donald Trump’s Republican Party introduced legislation to annex Greenland as the 51st US state.

And the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland are set to visit Washington on Wednesday for a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio.

Ms Nathanielsen said her ministerial colleagues had “no intention of becoming American”, she added the people of Greenland were under “massive pressure” and had difficulty sleeping due to the threats against the territory.

But while she acknowledged there were “contingency plans” in place, she declined to say whether they would resist a US invasion by force.

She told reporters: “We are not a country that finds ourselves at war with the US.

“We want a peaceful solution, and we will work towards that for as long as we can.

“We see no point in using weapons against each other. We should be friends. We are allies.”

The US president claimed over the weekend that he needed to “take Greenland” to prevent Russia or China from doing so.

But while Ms Nathanielsen said Greenland was open to more security monitoring or even a Nato deployment, she told reporters there was no “imminent threat” from either Russia or China.

And she reiterated calls for the people of Greenland to have a say over their future – a call that has been echoed by European leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer.

She said: “My deepest dream, or hope, is that the people of Greenland will get a say no matter what. I think we’re the ones to have a say in the decision about our future.”