The US bombardment of Venezuela and the capture of its president, Nicolás Maduro, has sent fresh shockwaves far beyond Latin America — all the way to Greenland — where Donald Trump’s latest remarks are being read as an ominous signal of what could come next.Trump, in Florida, said, “We need Greenland for national security, not for minerals. We have so many sites for minerals and oil and everything. We have more oil than any other country in the world. We need Greenland for national security.” “And if you take a look at Greenland, you look up and down the coast. You have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need it for national security. We have to have it. And he wanted to leave the charge, so we’re making him Marco today, a special envoy to Greenland,” he added. Earlier, Katie Miller, a rightwing podcaster and the wife of Stephen Miller, Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy, posted on X a map of Greenland draped in the stars and stripes with the caption: “SOON.” Trump told the Atlantic magazine on Sunday: “We do need Greenland, absolutely.”Miller’s threat to annex the mineral-rich territory, which is part of the Nato alliance, drew outrage from Denmark and Greenland. Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, called the post “disrespectful”. “Relations between nations and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law – not on symbolic gestures that disregard our status and our rights,” he said. He also said: “There is neither reason for panic nor for concern. Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts.”Copenhagen’s ambassador to the US, Jesper Møller Sørensen, reposted Miller’s provocation with a “friendly reminder” of the longstanding defence ties between the two countries.“We are close allies and should continue to work together as such. US security is also Greenland’s and Denmark’s security,” he said. “The Kingdom of Denmark and the United States work together to ensure security in the Arctic.”He said Denmark increased defence spending in 2025, committing $13.7bn “that can be used in the Arctic and North Atlantic. Because we take our joint security seriously.”He added: “And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
