Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) delivered a stark warning, stating flat out that any move by the U.S. to forcibly annex Greenland would absolutely signal the end of the NATO alliance, as per The Hill. It came during the Connecticut Democrat’s appearance on a major Sunday political program when asked what the consequences of such a move would be.
Murphy, who is a key member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, explained that if the U.S. moved militarily to take the territory, other NATO countries would actually be required to rush to Greenland’s defense. This means the United States would be pitted directly against longtime allies like the United Kingdom and France. Frankly, that sounds like a nightmare scenario for global stability, especially considering the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed in 1949 after World War II.
President Trump has recently reignited his push to acquire the semiautonomous territory from Denmark. The president argues that the huge island is totally essential to U.S. national security. The U.S. has operated the Pituffik Space Base in Greenland since 1943. It’s clear why the president is interested, but the way he’s pursuing it is causing major headaches across the Atlantic.
The administration is walking a very thin diplomatic line if it hopes to acquire the territory without causing a total collapse of one of the most critical international defense pacts
While White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed earlier this week that diplomacy is still the administration’s first priority, President Trump still hasn’t ruled out using military force to take over the territory. Meanwhile, one of the president’s strongest allies, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, who also acts as Trump’s envoy to Greenland, suggested that the president’s desire to acquire the mineral-rich territory should be met with “hospitality, not hostility.”
It’s clear the international community doesn’t share that “hospitality” view. Officials across Europe, Denmark, and Greenland have been strongly pushing back against the president’s annexation ideas for the better part of a year now. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen made a point strikingly similar to Senator Murphy’s earlier this week. Frederiksen told a Danish broadcaster that if the U.S. chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, “everything stops.”
European heavy hitters aren’t staying quiet either. French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer released a joint statement, making it clear that Greenland “belongs to its people.” They emphasized that it is for Denmark and Greenland, “and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”
Most importantly, the Greenlandic people themselves are making their voice heard loud and clear. Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, along with four major party leaders, released a statement. They made it absolutely crystal clear that the island’s future “must be decided by the Greenlandic people,” shutting down the notion that their territory is simply a piece of real estate up for grabs between global powers.
Published: Jan 12, 2026 12:00 pm