Trump Ties US Troop Presence in Europe to Greenland Deal at NATO Summit—July 9

US President Donald Trump used the NATO summit in Ankara this week to revive his long-standing demand that the United States take control of Greenland, a Danish territory. He tied potential withdrawal of up to one-third of American troops from Europe to securing a deal on the island. Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen flatly rejected the proposal, saying Greenland is ‘not for sale’ and that her country will defend every inch of NATO territory.

Trump’s Greenland demand and troop threat

Trump arrived at the two-day NATO summit on Tuesday, July 7, and immediately revived his interest in Greenland. He told reporters the island is ‘very important’ to the US but ‘not important to Denmark’ and should be ‘controlled by the United States, not by Denmark.’ On Wednesday, Trump linked troop withdrawals to a Greenland deal, saying ‘a lot will depend on Greenland’ and that he would consider removing troops ‘if we don’t make a very favorable deal in Greenland.’ He has privately stated he would withdraw up to one-third of the roughly 70,000 US troops currently stationed in Europe.

Denmark and Greenland reject the proposal

Denmark’s PM Frederiksen said her country is ‘ready to defend every inch of NATO including our own territory’ and called on all allies to respect Greenland’s right to self-determination. Greenland’s government has also opposed US designs on the island, stating that Greenland’s people will decide their own future. The rejection came as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced the alliance had achieved ‘tremendous unity’ and that defence investment across NATO was already at 4% of GDP, one year into a 10-year push toward 5% by 2035.

Why Trump wants Greenland

Trump argues the US needs Greenland for Arctic security and to counter Russian and Chinese military presence. The island sits 80% above the Arctic Circle, roughly 2,000 flight miles from Washington, DC, and is home to about 56,000 mostly Inuit people. Trump claims Chinese and Russian ships surround Greenland, though independent verification of such claims remains limited. He has said the US could acquire the territory through purchase, economic coercion, or military force, though he later stated military options were off the table.

Broader NATO tensions over Iran and defence spending

Trump also lashed out at European allies for not supporting his war in Iran, calling NATO ‘very disappointed’ and singling out Spain as a ‘terrible partner’ for refusing to allow US bases for Iran missions. He demanded Spain increase defence spending to 5% of GDP, calling current spending of 2% insufficient. Trump threatened to cut all trade with Spain, though Madrid sources noted the US had a $3 billion trade surplus with Spain in 2025 on $75 billion in total mutual trade. NATO pledged 70 billion euros (£80 billion) in assistance to Ukraine during the summit.

Final Thoughts

Trump’s linkage of troop withdrawals to Greenland acquisition puts NATO’s foundational principle of collective defence under strain. While the alliance announced record defence spending and unity, Trump’s threats expose deep divisions over burden-sharing and strategy in the Arctic and Middle East.

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