Greenland Urges Residents To Prepare Amid Fears Of Possible US Military Action

Greenland’s government has warned residents to prepare for potential disruption, saying a military conflict with the United States cannot be ruled out amid renewed claims by President Donald Trump over the Arctic territory.

Speaking to reporters in the capital, Nuuk, on Tuesday, Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said authorities were planning to establish a task force to help the population prepare for possible emergencies. While stressing that conflict was unlikely, Nielsen said it “can’t be ruled out” and that Greenland must be ready for all scenarios.

Finance Minister Mute Bourup Egede said the island was under “a lot of pressure” and confirmed that new civil preparedness guidelines are being drafted for Greenland’s population of around 57,000. These include recommendations for households to stock up on food supplies sufficient for five days.

Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire for the United States to acquire Greenland, citing national security concerns and the need to counter Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic. He has previously floated the idea of buying the territory from Denmark and has declined to rule out the use of force, suggesting the issue may have to be resolved “the hard way.”

Tensions have escalated further after Trump announced plans last week to impose new tariffs on European countries opposing his Greenland ambitions, including Denmark, Britain, France and Germany, should no agreement be reached.

Denmark, which retains sovereignty over Greenland, said it deployed additional troops to the island on Monday as part of the international Arctic Endurance military exercise, launched in response to Trump’s recent statements.

Despite the heightened rhetoric, politicians in both Denmark and Greenland have rejected claims of an immediate threat from Russia or China and said they remain open to cooperating with Washington on security matters.

“If they have mining projects they want to pursue or if they need another military base in Greenland, the door is wide open for discussions,” said Rasmus Jarlov, head of the Danish parliament’s defence committee. “But handing over sovereignty and 50,000 citizens of Denmark who definitely don’t want to be Americans – we just can’t do that.”

European leaders have warned that any US military action against Greenland, a territory linked to a Nato member, would pose a serious threat to the future of the alliance.