Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has told Greenlanders to prepare for a possible attack as he cannot rule one out.
While Nielsen doesn’t believe an attack on the territory by the US was likely, top officials are reviewing emergency guidelines amid threats by US President Donald Trump. The prime minister warned Greenlanders after Trump has repeated his threat to seize control of the semiautonomous Danish territory.
Appearing at a news conference in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, Nielsen attended alongside a former prime minister, Mute B. Egede. Egede said that territorial officials are currently reviewing their civil preparedness strategies. Among those preparations all households could be asked to ensure they have five days of food supplies in stock.
“We must be prepared for all the things that may happen,” Edede said in his role as Greenland finance minister and deputy prime minister.
As noted by CNBC, Nielsen and Edede both reiterated that Greenland, as part of the Danish Kingdom, is also part of NATO. They warned that any escalation would have consequences beyond Greenland’s shores. Moreover, both ministers condemned Trump’s threats on social media, calling them “disrespectful,” and that the Arctic island would respond through formal channels.
According to two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters, Trump has yet to direct the Pentagon to draw up plans to invade Greenland. He has also not mentioned what would happen as the aftermath of such an operation.
At this stage, no official call has been made for Greenlanders to stock up on essential food and other household supplies. Meanwhile, similar messages from Nordic governments have been issued to address rising threats in recent years. Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden updated their advice for citizens in 2024 to prepare to survive war and other crises, but at that stage, Russian aggression was their main concern.
However, that longstanding international order has been upended by Trump’s insistence that the US will take action regarding the island “whether they like it or not.” Emboldened by the capture of the Venezuelan president, the US president has now made aggressive statements about Greenland.
In usual form, Trump is threatening to impose tariffs on longstanding European allies in order to force negotiations to take control of the island. This has left Greenland afraid, Denmark angry, and Europe as a whole standing in opposition to Donald Trump.
The Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, on Tuesday stayed in Copenhagen to address Denmark’s Parliament, instead of attending the start of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. She said neither the Greenlanders nor the Danes wish to become “the center of a conflict between the United States and Europe.”
Soon after Trump increased his feud with European leaders, Frederiksen described his actions as a threat to Danish territory and to Greenland’s right to self-determination. The Danish Prime Minister warned that neither the US nor Denmark would benefit from a trade war.
“On both sides, a trade war will cost jobs,” she said, just as Trump is heading to the World Economic Forum in Davos. “On both sides, it will harm the economy.”
In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly said that taking control of Greenland is a matter of US national security. According to the Danish state broadcaster, Monday saw Denmark sending a small troop of around 100 soldiers to western Greenland, as well as the Danish Army chief, Peter Boysen.
Meanwhile, leaders in Greenland have repeated their position that the island is not for sale, and they don’t want to be part of the United States. Meanwhile, Greenland’s prime minister stressed that if Greenlanders had to choose, they would prefer to stay aligned with Denmark.
BREAKING: 🇩🇪🇺🇸 German politician Jürgen Hardt just proposed a boycott of the 2026 World Cup which is to be held in the United States, regarding Greenland.
The world hates Trump!!! pic.twitter.com/Tb9Knjjnir
— Morgan J. Freeman (@mjfree) January 20, 2026
In the latest news on X, German politician Jürgen Hardt has proposed a boycott of the 2026 World Cup which is to be held in the US over threats to Greenland.
