ANKARA,TURKEY July 7, 2026 — U.S. President Donald Trump renewed his long-standing demand that Greenland should be under American control rather than Danish sovereignty, making the comments during a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as NATO leaders gathered for a summit in the Turkish capital.
Speaking to reporters shortly after arriving in Ankara on Tuesday, Trump said: “That should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark.” He tied the issue to broader NATO tensions, claiming it had damaged his relationship with the alliance.
“That’s what hurt my relationship with NATO, because Greenland doesn’t help Denmark. Denmark doesn’t spend money to really help Greenland, but it’s an important part for the United States, and it’s surrounded by China ships and Russian ships, and that’s not going to happen,” Trump stated. He added that Denmark “wouldn’t go along with it, and with all the money we spend to help them with Russia.”
Greenland, a vast Arctic island and semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, holds significant strategic value due to its location in the High North. The region is seeing increased naval activity from Russia and China amid melting ice and new shipping routes. The United States has maintained a long-term military presence there, including at Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base), which supports missile defense, space surveillance, and Arctic operations.
Trump’s remarks revive tensions that first surfaced in 2019 when he expressed interest in purchasing the territory — an idea Denmark firmly rejected at the time.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen quickly pushed back, describing the U.S. position as well-known but untenable. “It is a well-known position of the United States that it wants to own and take over Greenland. I hope that it is equally well-known everywhere that this is not going to happen,” she said. Frederiksen added that there were no plans to discuss Arctic or Greenland-related issues during the Ankara summit.
Greenland’s Foreign Minister Mute Egede emphasized self-determination, stating on Facebook that the island’s future “has always been” and “always will be” decided by its own people. He stressed continued close cooperation with allies while rejecting external control.
The comments came as the 32 NATO member nations convened in Ankara for their annual summit (July 7–8, 2026). The gathering focuses on defense spending, support for Ukraine, and alliance cohesion amid ongoing transatlantic frictions. Greenland-related matters are not on the formal agenda.
Diplomatic channels between the U.S., Denmark, and Greenland remain active, with monthly conversations reported earlier in 2026. No immediate plans for formal discussions on sovereignty transfer have been announced.
Trump’s renewed focus on Greenland underscores U.S. strategic priorities in the Arctic while highlighting ongoing strains within the NATO alliance over burden-sharing and territorial ambitions.
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