In 2026, U.S. pressure on Greenland could range from expanded military deployments and economic and political coercion to unilateral intervention, which would aim to strengthen Washington's Arctic presence while eroding Danish authority and would prompt calibrated Russian, Chinese and European responses. During the 2024 presidential campaign and since his return to the White House in January 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in Greenland, often describing the territory as key for American national security. Throughout 2025, Trump repeatedly asserted that "ownership" and "control" of the island were an absolute necessity to counter Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic, even refusing to rule out the use of military or economic coercion to achieve this goal. This stance has triggered significant tensions with Denmark and Greenland, with both governments repeatedly saying that the territory is not for sale. U.S. pressure peaked in late December 2025 with the appointment...
