Emphasizing that the United States needs to own Greenland, President Donald Trump said that the move is necessary to prevent the region from being occupied by Russia or China in the future.
While speaking to reporters on Friday (January 9, 2026), Trump said, "We are going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not. Because if we don't do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we're not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor," as quoted by news agency Reuters. The remarks from the US president came while he was meeting with oil company executives.
Notably, the US and Russia are maritime neighbors separated by a very narrow stretch of water. The two countries are closest at the Bering Strait, which separates the U.S. state of Alaska from the Russian region of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
The maritime separation between the two countries was clarified under the 1990 USA–USSR Maritime Boundary Agreement. There are two small islands known as the Diomede Islands in the Bering Strait, which lie about 2.4 miles (3.8 km) apart and are separated by the US–Russia maritime boundary, which closely follows the International Date Line, according to Britannica.
Trump and White House officials discuss plans
Trump also stated that America must acquire Greenland, even though it already has a military presence on the island under a 1951 agreement, because such deals are not enough to guarantee Greenland's defense.
The island of 57,000 people is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. "You defend ownership. You don't defend leases. And we'll have to defend Greenland. If we don't do it, China or Russia will," Trump said.
Trump and White House officials have been discussing various plans to bring Greenland under U.S. control, including potential use of the U.S. military and lump sum payments to Greenlanders as part of a bid to convince them to secede from Denmark and potentially join the U.S.
Trump’s push to acquire Greenland irks Europe
Leaders in Copenhagen and throughout Europe have reacted with disdain in recent days to comments by Trump and other White House officials asserting their right to Greenland. The U.S. and Denmark are NATO allies bound by a mutual defense agreement.
"I'm a fan of Denmark...but, you know, the fact that they had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn't mean that they own the land," Trump told reporters. Speaking on NATO, he stated, "NATO's got to understand that. I'm all for NATO. I saved NATO. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have NATO right now."
On Tuesday (January 6, 2026), France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain, and Denmark issued a joint statement, saying only Greenland and Denmark can decide matters regarding their relations.
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