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President Trump Demands that Denmark Sell Greenland to the United States, Threatening to Take It by Force

Part of: AJIL Contemporary Practice of the United States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 July 2026

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Type
Contemporary Practice of the United States Relating to International Law: Edited by Jacob Katz Cogan
Information
American Journal of International Law , Volume 120 , Issue 3 , July 2026 , pp. 574 - 582
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of American Society of International Law

In early 2026, President Donald J. Trump renewed his demand that Denmark sell Greenland to the United States and threatened to take the territory by force, prompting a crisis within the NATO alliance. Denmark and Greenland refused to succumb to the pressure and promised to defend the island from a U.S. attack. European states quickly supported Denmark, denouncing the president’s bellicosity and his lawlessness. Seventeen days after initiating the dispute, the president withdrew his threats and announced that a framework agreement had been reached. The terms were not made public, and negotiations on a full deal are ongoing, but Denmark and Greenland’s governments have made it clear that Greenland will not be sold.

Greenland is a self-governing territoryFootnote 1 within the Kingdom of Denmark of about 56,000 persons,Footnote 2 with a parliament and government that enacts and administers law in the “fields of responsibility” that it has assumed pursuant to Danish law.Footnote 3 Denmark retains control over, among other matters, Greenland’s “foreign, defence and security policy as well as exchange rate and monetary policy.”Footnote 4 Denmark and Greenland “cooperate in international affairs . . . with a view to safeguarding the interests of Greenland as well as the general interests of . . . Denmark.”Footnote 5 Danish law requires that international agreements pertaining to Greenland be negotiated and concluded following a process of notification and consultation with the island’s government.Footnote 6 Denmark explicitly recognizes that “the people of Greenland is a people pursuant to international law with the right of self-determination,” and it acknowledges that Greenlanders can choose independence.Footnote 7 A recent poll indicated that Greenlanders do not currently favor independence.Footnote 8 The same poll found that 76 percent do not want Greenland to become part of the United States.Footnote 9 The United States has repeatedly recognized Danish sovereignty over Greenland for over a century.Footnote 10

Since World War II, the United States has maintained a military presence in Greenland. A 1941 agreement provided the United States the right to build and maintain military bases there.Footnote 11 That treaty was done in the context of the war, and in 1946, anticipating that retaining forces in Greenland would be advantageous going forward, given the territory’s proximity to Europe and the Soviet Union, the United States offered to purchase the island. That offer was rejected, and indeed Denmark preferred that the United States remove its forces. The United States demurred, and in 1951 Denmark acceded to U.S. demands for a continued and more robust military presence. The two states entered into a new treaty that gave the United States, in accordance with the North Atlantic Treaty and NATO plans, broad rights to maintain and expand its bases in Greenland.Footnote 12 The agreement allowed the United States to “establish[] and/or operat[e] such defense areas as the two Governments . . . agree[d] . . . [were] necessary for the development of the defense of Greenland and the rest of the North Atlantic Treaty area.”Footnote 13 And it authorized the United States, in these defense areas, to: build and maintain bases; station personnel; operate ships and aircraft; import and export materials, equipment and supplies free of inspection or duties; move personnel and their families in and out; and take related actions.Footnote 14 The United States was given “the right to exercise exclusive jurisdiction over those defense areas . . . for which it [was] responsible . . . and over any offenses . . . committed . . . [there]” by its military or civilian personnel or their families.Footnote 15 The 1951 agreement has no expiration date and is still in force. Under the treaty, the United States once maintained seventeen bases and stationed 10,000 troops on the island.Footnote 16 It now operates only one base (Pituffik Space Base) with fewer than 200 troops.Footnote 17

President Trump covets Greenland for its strategic location and its natural resources.Footnote 18 He floated the idea of acquiring it during his first term, but Denmark quickly dismissed the suggestion, and the matter was dropped.Footnote 19 His fascination with the island persisted, however. “Buying Greenland” was among the foreign policy priorities listed by advisers following his second election.Footnote 20 In December 2024, when announcing his nominee for U.S. ambassador to Denmark, the then-president-elect said that “[f]or purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”Footnote 21 In the weeks before taking the oath of office, he threatened levying tariffs on Denmark if Greenland were not sold.Footnote 22

The president repeatedly reiterated his interest in Greenland once he returned to the White House. “We need Greenland for national security and even international security[,] [a]nd we’re working with everybody involved to try and get it,” he told Congress in March 2025.Footnote 23 “One way or the other, we’re going to get it,” he said.Footnote 24 He refused to rule out the use of military force.Footnote 25 Vice President JD Vance led a delegation to Greenland not long after taking office “to celebrate the long history of mutual respect and cooperation between our nations and to express hope that our relationship will only grow stronger in the coming years.”Footnote 26 Greenland’s then-prime minister, Múte B. Egede, described the vice president’s visit as “highly aggressive,” and Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Fredericksen, called it “unacceptable pressure.”Footnote 27 Earlier in the year, Donald Trump, Jr. also traveled there.Footnote 28

While Greenland was not at the top of the president’s agenda for most of his first year back in office, his interest in acquiring it did not wane. There were reports of U.S. spying and a covert influence campaign that sought to encourage Greenlander support for joining the United States.Footnote 29 In December, the president appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, a new position.Footnote 30 “Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security,” the president remarked, “and [he] will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World.”Footnote 31 The governor understood the assignment: “to make Greenland a part of the U.S.”Footnote 32 Landry’s appointment prompted the Danish government to summon the U.S. ambassador, the third such action within the year.Footnote 33 It also led Denmark and Greenland’s prime ministers to jointly assert that “National borders and the sovereignty of states are rooted in international law . . . . You cannot annex other countries.”Footnote 34 The Danish Defence Intelligence Service’s year-end Intelligence Outlook 2025 noted that “the possibility of [the United States] employing military force—even against allies—is no longer ruled out.”Footnote 35

Greenland moved to the front of the president’s agenda in the early days of 2026. Fresh off the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro,Footnote 36 and enamored with the idea of reasserting U.S. control over the Western Hemisphere (the so-called “Donroe Doctrine”), President Trump remarked: “[w]e do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense.”Footnote 37 Responding, Prime Minister Frederiksen said: “It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland.”Footnote 38 She noted that that Denmark (including Greenland) is part of NATO, that Denmark and the United States have a defense agreement that provides the United States with “wide access to Greenland,” and that Denmark has “invested significantly in security in the Arctic.”Footnote 39 She “strongly urge[d] the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have said very clearly that they are not for sale.”Footnote 40 On the same day as the president’s remark, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said: “Our country is not for sale.”Footnote 41 The following day, Homeland Security Adviser Stephen Miller boasted: “Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland. . . . We live in a world, in the real world . . . that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. . . . These are the iron laws of the world since the beginning of time.”Footnote 42

France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom quickly issued a joint statement with Denmark supporting the fundamental international law rules implicated by President Trump’s threat to use force to acquire Greenland. “Security in the Arctic must . . . be achieved collectively,” they asserted, “by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders. These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them.”Footnote 43 Noting the importance of self-determination, the statement emphasized that “Greenland belongs to its people[, and] [i]t is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”Footnote 44

The president was undeterred, however.Footnote 45 A White House source stated: “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilising the US military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal.”Footnote 46 The president himself said that he was “going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not,”Footnote 47 and that while he “would like to make a deal, you know, the easy way, but if we don’t do it the easy way we’re going to do it the hard way.”Footnote 48 He repeated his threats in succeeding days. “We need Greenland for national security, very badly. If we don’t have it, we have a big hole in national security, especially when it comes to what we’re doing in terms of the Golden Dome and all of the other things. We have a lot of—a lot of investments in military. We have got the strongest military in the world and it’s only getting stronger. And you saw that with Venezuela.”Footnote 49 Denmark responded by announcing that it was increasing its military presence in Greenland to defend it from a possible U.S. invasion, and European countries, at Denmark’s invitation, sent troops to Greenland to demonstrate their support.Footnote 50

Despite quickly arranged talks in Washington between Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the crisis spiraled.Footnote 51 By mid-January, President Trump threatened ten percent tariffs on eight countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland) unless an agreement to acquire Greenland was made.Footnote 52 Nevertheless, those countries, as well as the European Union, remained united in their commitment to the “fundamental principles of international law” of “[t]erritorial integrity and sovereignty.”Footnote 53 At an emergency meeting, European Union ambassadors considered activating the EU’s “anti-coercion instrument” in response to Trump’s threats, deferring a decision for a few days until leaders could convene.Footnote 54 The prospect of another trade war caused the U.S. stock market to plummet.Footnote 55

Illustration of a political figure planting a US flag in a Greenland landscape beside a sign reading Greenland US Territory Est 2026. Two suited figures stand behind, suggesting a symbolic claim over Greenland.

Fearful of further escalation and perhaps even the destruction of the alliance,Footnote 56 NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, together with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and others, worked behind-the-scenes to reduce tensions, and they convinced President Trump to meet with Secretary General Rutte at the upcoming World Economic Forum meetings in Davos.Footnote 57 Publicly, the president continued his hard line, taking to social media to make demands and issue threats,Footnote 58 and posting an image that showed him, with the vice president and secretary of state looking on, planting a U.S. flag on a generic snowy and mountainous terrain near a sign with the inscription “GREENLAND – US TERRITORY EST. 2026.”Footnote 59 At his public speech in Davos, the president again insisted that Greenland become part of the United States, but he toned down his threats somewhat, saying “I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force; I won’t use force.”Footnote 60

Following the speech, the president and Secretary General Rutte met.Footnote 61 Afterwards, the president announced that the two had “formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region.”Footnote 62 He called the agreement “really fantastic,” saying that the United States “[got] everything we wanted, including especially real national security and international security.”Footnote 63 The tariff threat was withdrawn.Footnote 64 Negotiations, he said, would take place on specifics.Footnote 65 No details were offered regarding the framework, and no text has been released to date. A NATO spokesperson said: “Negotiations between Denmark, Greenland and the United States will go forward aimed at ensuring that Russia and China never gain a foothold—economically or militarily—in Greenland.”Footnote 66 An official who attended the meeting between the president and Secretary General Rutte said that one idea being considered was to give the United States sovereignty over its military bases in Greenland, like the United Kingdom has over its Akrotiri and Dhekelia bases in Cyprus.Footnote 67 Other reports suggested that the agreement would include provisions concerning U.S. access to minerals, while excluding China and Russia, and the Golden Dome missile defense program.Footnote 68 Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen said: “We can negotiate on everything political; security, investments, economy. But we cannot negotiate on our sovereignty. . . . The Kingdom of Denmark wishes to continue to engage in a constructive dialogue with allies on how we can strengthen security in the Arctic, …, provided that this is done with respect for our territorial integrity.”Footnote 69

References

1 In the early days of the United Nations, Denmark acknowledged that Greenland was a “non-self-governing territory” under Article 73 of the UN Charter. See GA Res. 66(I) (Dec. 14, 1946). In 1953, Denmark notified the UN that Greenland “ha[d] become an integral part of the Danish Realm with a constitutional status equal to that of other parts of Denmark” and that therefore the provisions of Article 73 no longer applied. GA Res. 849 (IX), preambular para. 2 (Nov. 22, 1954). The General Assembly found that “Greenland freely decided on its integration within the Kingdom of Denmark” and agreed that Chapter XI of the Charter no longer pertained to Greenland. See id., paras. 5, 7–8.

2 See Kingdom of Denmark, Greenland: The World’s Largest Island, at https://denmark.dk/people-and-culture/greenland [https://perma.cc/N47C-BHMW].

3 See Act on Greenland Self-Government, Act 473 (translation) (June 12, 2009), at https://english.stm.dk/media/4vgewyoh/gl-selvstyrelov-uk.pdf [https://perma.cc/AK76-LA8G] [hereinafter Self-Government Act]. The Self-Government Act, which extends the prior Home Rule Act, provides that Greenland can assume competence over certain fields of responsibility, including courts, police, family law, borders, and mineral resources. Greenland, to date, has assumed responsibility over some, but not all, of these fields. See Fields of Responsibility Assumed by the Greenland Home Rule Government (I and II) and Greenland Self-Government (III) Respectively, at https://english.stm.dk/media/y5whi2ep/gr-oversigt-over-sagsomraader-en.pdf [https://perma.cc/6QMJ-5BJG].

4 Office of the Prime Minister of Denmark Press Release, Greenland, at https://english.stm.dk/the-prime-ministers-office/the-unity-of-the-realm/greenland [https://perma.cc/LTQ4-HEVH].

5 Self-Government Act, supra note 3, Art. 11(2).

6 Id. Arts. 12–13.

7 Id., pmbl., Art. 21.

8 See Lars Vesterløkke, Poll: Clear Majority of Greenlanders Reject Independence Now, Copenhagen Post (Feb. 5, 2026), at https://cphpost.dk/2026-02-05/news/politics/poll-clear-majority-of-greenlanders-reject-independence-now; see also Christian Ulloriaq Jeppesen, Maya Tekeli & Jeffrey Gettleman, In Trump’s Shadow, Greenland Votes for a New Government, N.Y. Times (Mar. 12, 2025), at https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/12/world/europe/greenland-election.html.

9 See Vesterløkke, supra note 8.

10 See, e.g., Declaration of Secretary of State Robert Lansing, appended to Convention for Cession of the Danish West Indies, Den.-U.S., Aug. 4, 1916, 39 Stat. 1706. The Permanent Court of International Justice found that Denmark had sovereignty over Greenland. See Legal Status of Eastern Greenland (Den. v. Nor.), 1933 PCIJ (ser. A/B) No. 53 (Apr. 5).

11 See Agreement Relating to the Defence of Greenland, Den.-U.S., Apr. 9, 1941, 55 Stat. 1245, 204 LNTS 135.

12 Agreement Pursuant to the North Atlantic Treaty, Concerning the Defense of Greenland (Den.-U.S.), Art. I, Apr. 27, 1951, 94 UNTS 45, 2 UST 1485 [hereinafter 1951 Agreement], amended by Agreement to Amend and Supplement the Agreement of 27 April 1951, Den.-U.S., Aug. 6, 2004, TIAS 04-806, 2335 UNTS 32.

13 1951 Agreement, supra note 12, Art. II.

14 Id. Arts. II(3)(b), VII(1), IX.

15 Id. Art. VIII.

16 See Sune Engel Rasmussen, The U.S. Nuclear Base Hidden Under Greenland’s Ice for Decades, Wall St. J. (May 13, 2025), at https://www.wsj.com/world/greenland-us-camp-century-nuclear-base-91e8abea.

17 See id.; U.S. Space Force, Pituffik Space Base, Greenland, at https://www.petersonschriever.spaceforce.mil/pituffik-sb-greenland.

18 See Jeffrey Gettleman, Maya Tekeli & Chris Buckley, For Greenland’s Minerals, the Harsh Reality Behind the Glittering Promise, N.Y. Times (Mar. 3, 2025), at https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/03/world/europe/greenland-minerals-trump.html.

19 See Annie Karni, Trump Scraps Trip to Denmark, as Greenland Is Not for Sale, N.Y. Times (Aug. 20, 2019), at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/20/us/politics/trump-cancels-greenland-trip.html.

20 See Steve Holland, Gram Slattery & Tim Reid, Trump Looks to Greenland to Cement His Legacy and Expand Sphere of US Influence, Reuters (Jan. 9, 2025), at https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-looks-greenland-cement-his-legacy-expand-sphere-us-influence-2025-01-09.

21 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump), Truth Social (Dec. 22, 2024, 5:11 p.m.), at https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113698764270730405.

22 See Ana Swanson & Jenny Gross, Ozempic, Lego Bricks and Hearing Aids: What Trump’s Greenland Plan Could Hit, N.Y. Times (Jan. 8, 2025), at https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/08/us/politics/trump-greenland-denmark-ozempic.html.

23 Speech: Donald Trump Addresses a Joint Session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol (Mar. 4, 2025), at https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-speech-joint-session-congress-2025-march-4-2025 [https://perma.cc/X9ZZ-E9DG].

24 Id.

25 See Edward Helmore, Trump Says He “Doesn’t Rule Out” Using Military Force to Control Greenland, Guardian (May 4, 2025), at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/04/trump-greenland-denmark-military-force.

26 See Vera Bergengruen, U.S. Delegation to Visit Greenland as White House Ramps Up Pressure on the Island, Wall St. J. (Mar. 24, 2026), at https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/u-s-delegation-to-visit-greenland-as-white-house-ramps-up-pressure-on-the-island-8c769477.

27 Karoun Demirjian, Why Does Trump Want Greenland? Here’s What to Know, N.Y. Times (Mar. 28, 2025), at https://www.nytimes.com/article/trump-greenland-why.html.

28 See Max Colchester, Donald Trump Jr. Visited Greenland. Then Things Got Weird, Wall St. J. (Jan. 16, 2025), at https://www.wsj.com/world/donald-trump-jr-visited-greenland-then-things-got-weird-9c7bdb66.

29 See Jeffrey Gettleman & Maya Tekeli, Denmark Outraged by Report of Increased Spying in Greenland, N.Y. Times (May 8, 2025), at https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/world/asia/denmark-greenland-us-consulate-spying.html; Jeffrey Gettleman & Maya Tekeli, Denmark Summons U.S. Envoy Over a Reported “Influence Operation” in Greenland, N.Y. Times (Aug. 27, 2025), at https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/world/europe/trump-denmark-greenland-us-embassy.html.

30 See Eduardo Medina, Who Is Jeff Landry, Trump’s Special Envoy to Greenland?, N.Y. Times (Dec. 22, 2025), at https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/us/jeff-landry-greenland-envoy-trump.html.

31 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump), Truth Social (Dec. 21, 2025, 9:21 p.m.), at https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115760829286615399.

32 Governor Jeff Landry (@LAGovJeffLandry), X (Dec. 21, 2025, 10:51 p.m.), at https://x.com/LAGovJeffLandry/status/2002950029494124986.

33 See Sune Engel Rasmussen, Trump Appointment of Greenland Envoy Draws Angry Response from Denmark, Wall St. J. (Dec. 22, 2025), at https://www.wsj.com/world/trump-appointment-of-greenland-envoy-draws-angry-response-from-denmark-272de1b8; Gettleman & Tekeli, Denmark Outraged, supra note 29; Gettleman & Tekeli, Denmark Summons, supra note 29.

34 Jon Henley, You Cannot Annex Other Countries, Danish and Greenlandic Leaders Tell Trump, Guardian (Dec. 22, 2025), at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/22/denmark-summon-us-ambassador-trump-greenland-envoy-appointment.

35 Danish Defence Intelligence Service, Intelligence Outlook 2025, at 10 (Dec. 2025), at https://www.fe-ddis.dk/globalassets/fe/dokumenter/2025/-fe-intelligenceoutlook-25-.pdf.

36 See Jacob Katz Cogan, Contemporary Practice of the United States, 120 AJIL 386, 397 (2026).

37 Michael Scherer, Trump Threatens Venezuela’s New Leader with a Fate Worse Than Maduro’s, Atlantic (Jan. 4, 2026), at https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/01/trump-venezuela-maduro-delcy-rodriguez/685497.

38 Office of the Prime Minster of Denmark Press Release, Udtalelse fra statsminister Mette Frederiksen (Jan. 4, 2026), at https://stm.dk/presse/pressemeddelelser/2026/udtalelse-fra-statsminister-mette-frederiksen [https://perma.cc/Q32R-HTD2] (translation by Google Translate).

39 Id.

40 Id.

41 Jens_frederik, Instagram (Jan. 4, 2026), at https://www.instagram.com/p/DTGAxm7ipNu (translation by Google Translate).

42 Chris Cameron, Stephen Miller Asserts U.S. Has Right to Take Greenland, N.Y. Times (Jan. 5, 2026), at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/us/politics/stephen-miller-greenland-venezuela.html.

43 Office of the Prime Minster of Denmark Press Release, Joint Statement on Greenland (Jan. 6, 2026), at https://english.stm.dk/press/press-releases/joint-statement-on-greenland [https://perma.cc/Q6DZ-K8HW].

44 Id.; see also Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Press Release, Joint Statement by the Nordic Foreign Ministers on Greenland (Jan. 6, 2026), at https://www.government.se/statements/2026/01/joint-statement-by-the-nordic-foreign-ministers-on-greenland [https://perma.cc/7P84-W7BV].

45 See David E. Sanger, Tyler Pager, Katie Rogers & Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Trump Lays Out a Vision of Power Restrained Only by “My Own Morality,” N.Y. Times (Jan. 8, 2026), at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/us/politics/trump-interview-power-morality.html.

46 Jude Sheerin & Gabriela Pomeroy, US Discussing Options to Acquire Greenland Including Using Military, White House Says, BBC (Jan. 7, 2026), at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyg1jg8xkmo.

47 Remarks: Donald Trump Meets with Oil and Gas Executives at the White House (Jan. 9, 2026), at https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-remarks-oil-gas-executives-january-9-2026 [https://perma.cc/M2VA-RK5H].

48 Id.

49 Press Gaggle: Donald Trump Speaks to Reporters Before Marine One Departure (Jan. 16, 2026), at https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-press-gaggle-before-marine-one-departure-january-16-2026 [https://perma.cc/R3CP-BWRA].

50 See Jeffrey Gettleman & Maya Tekeli, Denmark Reinforces Its Military Presence in Greenland, N.Y. Times (Jan. 14, 2026), at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/us/politics/greenland-denmark-military.html; Maya Tekeli, “Yankee, Go Home”: Greenlanders Protest Trump’s Takeover Plans, N.Y. Times (Jan. 17, 2026), at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/17/world/europe/greenland-denmark-protest-trump-takeover.html; Jeffrey Gettleman, Christopher F. Schuetze & Maya Tekeli, Denmark Was Ready to Blow Up Airfields to Stop a U.S. Invasion of Greenland, N.Y. Times (Mar. 20, 2026), at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/world/europe/denmark-blow-up-greenland-runways-us-invasion.html.

51 See Anton Troianovski, Jeffrey Gettleman & Edward Wong, What Did the White House and Denmark Agree to on Greenland? It Depends Whom You Ask, N.Y. Times (Jan. 15, 2026), at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/us/politics/white-house-greenland-meeting.html.

52 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump), Truth Social (Jan. 17, 2026, 11:19 a.m.), at https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115911344443637897.

53 See Office of the Prime Minister of Sweden Press Release, Statement by Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom (Jan. 18, 2026), at https://www.government.se/statements/2026/01/statement-by-denmark-finland-france-germany-the-netherlands-norway-sweden-and-the-united-kingdom [https://perma.cc/R8DV-8HVY]; European Council Press Release, Joint Statement by President Costa and by President von der Leyen on Greenland (Jan. 17, 2026), at https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2026/01/17/joint-statement-by-president-costa-and-by-president-von-der-leyen-on-greenland [https://perma.cc/AB36-AW5T].

54 See Jeanna Smialek, After Trump Reignites a Trade War Over Greenland, Europe Weighs Hitting Back, N.Y. Times (Jan. 18, 2026), at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/world/europe/greenland-us-trade-war.html; Lizzie Dearden, European Allies Mull Retaliation Over Trump’s Greenland Threats, N.Y. Times (Jan. 19, 2026), at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/us/politics/starmer-uk-greenland.html.

55 Dow Sinks Nearly 900 Points Amid Trump Tariff Threats, Wall St. J. (Jan. 20, 2026), at https://www.wsj.com/finance/stocks/global-markets-u-s-futures-fall-as-trump-doubles-down-on-greenland-threats-c7f50bf6.

56 See Michael D. Shear, Trump Is Pushing the U.S.-Europe Alliance onto a Precipice, N.Y. Times (Jan. 19, 2026), at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/world/europe/trump-greenland-europe-nato-alliance.html.

57 See Alex Leary, Daniel Michaels, Bertrand Benoit & Robbie Gramer, Inside Trump’s Head-Spinning Greenland U-Turn, Wall St. J. (Jan. 21, 2026), at https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/a-piece-of-ice-for-world-protection-trump-demands-europe-cut-deal-on-greenland-cc1014f6.

58 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump), Truth Social (Jan. 20, 2026, 12:26 a.m.), at https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115925766187001811.

59 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump), Truth Social (Jan. 20, 2026, 1:00 a.m.), at https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115925897257210763.

60 Speech: Donald Trump Delivers an Address at the World Economic Forum in Davos (Jan. 21, 2026), at https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-speech-world-economic-forum-davos-january-21-2026 [https://perma.cc/RYV5-QCKX].

61 Victoria Albert, NATO Says Greenland Talks Will Continue, Wall St. J. (Jan. 21, 2026), at https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/greenland-trump-tariffs-trade-eu/card/nato-says-greenland-talks-will-continue-022NWIk6CeKiwoEvhAhO.

62 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump), Truth Social (Jan. 21, 2026, 2:27 p.m.), at https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115934734335579278 [hereinafter January 21 Post].

63 Ken Thomas, Framework “Really Fantastic,” Trump Says, Wall St. J. (Jan. 21, 2026), at https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/greenland-trump-tariffs-trade-eu/card/deal-will-be-fantastic-trump-says-GP6TsBhPiKFoPDrTYsCZ.

64 January 21 Post, supra note 62.

65 See id.

66 Victoria Albert, NATO Says Greenland Talks Will Continue, Wall St. J. (Jan. 21, 2026), at https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/greenland-trump-tariffs-trade-eu/card/nato-says-greenland-talks-will-continue-022NWIk6CeKiwoEvhAhO.

67 See Lara Jakes, Jim Tankersley & Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Trump Says He Has Framework for Greenland Deal as NATO Mulls Idea of U.S. Sovereignty Over Bases, N.Y. Times (Jan. 21, 2026), at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/us/politics/trump-greenland-threats-diplomacy-force.html. The bases are UK territory pursuant to the treaty granting Cyprus independence. See Treaty Concerning the Establishment of the Republic of Cyprus, Cyprus-UK, Aug. 16, 1960, Art. 1, 382 UNTS 8. Cyprus’s president recently said that he wanted to have “an open and frank discussion with the British government” regarding the future of the bases. See Jessica Parker, Paul Kirby & Hywel Griffith, Cyprus Leader Calls for Frank Discussion on “Colonial” UK Bases, BBC (Mar. 19, 2026), at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy7166denxeo.

68 See Jim Tankersley, Lara Jakes & Adam Goldman, After Trump’s Ultimatum, Greenland Talks Include Sovereign U.S. Bases and No Drilling for Russia, N.Y. Times (Jan. 22, 2026), at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/world/europe/trump-greenland-deal-framework.html.

69 Office of the Prime Minister Denmark Press Release, Udtalelse fra statsminister Mette Frederiksen (Jan. 22, 2026), at https://stm.dk/presse/pressemeddelelser/2026/udtalelse-fra-statsminister-mette-frederiksen-22-januar-2026 [https://perma.cc/8LYV-L4RV] (translation by Google Translate).