Greenland’s Premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated late Tuesday that the island and its residents must be ready for “anything,” not discounting the possibility of military action by the U.S. as President Donald Trump intensifies efforts to assume control of the semi-autonomous Arctic territory, which is a part of Denmark.
In a press conference, Nielsen remarked that although such a situation seems improbable, Greenland needs to be ready since “the other side” has not dismissed the potential for the use of force, seemingly pointing to the United States.
“While the use of military force is unlikely, it cannot be completely ruled out. This leader from the opposing side has been very explicit that it’s a possibility. Thus, we must certainly be ready for anything,” he mentioned, according to a Google translation of his statements.
Nielsen mentioned that Greenland’s administration is setting up an information campaign aimed at its citizens, which will include advice on steps they can take, such as ensuring they have at least five days’ worth of food supplies at home.
The government will also establish an emergency response team made up of personnel from municipal governments, law enforcement, and Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command.
“We need to stress that we’re experiencing a challenging, a testing time, and we cannot dismiss the chance that it may escalate to something even worse,” Nielsen added.
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Trump on Tuesday chose not to elaborate on the measures he would adopt to fulfill his ambition of taking control of Greenland. “You’ll find out,” Trump stated when questioned on the extent he would go to acquire the Arctic island.
Denmark’s military on Tuesday released information regarding European and Danish military exercises taking place in Greenland, announcing that they were “enhancing their presence in Greenland and the North Atlantic.”
“The increased presence in Greenland is a result of the altered security policy climate, which imposes new requirements for the defense of the Arctic and the North Atlantic by Denmark and NATO,” the military stated. The U.S. is a member of NATO.
Trump has minimized the chance of opposition from European leaders should he take control of the island. “I don’t believe they will resist very much,” he said on Tuesday in Florida. “We need to have it … They can’t defend it.”
On Saturday, Trump threatened eight European nations with increased tariffs, beginning at 10% on February 1 and escalating to 25% on June 1, if no agreement is reached to permit the U.S. to acquire Greenland
In turn, European nations are considering retaliatory tariffs and additional punitive economic responses against the U.S.
