‘It would be war’: Danish MP says Denmark will defend Greenland if Donald Trump invades

Denmark MP Rasmus Jarlov:

“We will defend Greenland. If there is an invasion, by American troops, it would be a war. And we would be fighting against each other.”
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Jarlov, an MP from the Conservative People’s Party and a former cabinet minister, acknowledged that the United States is militarily stronger, but said it was Denmark’s duty is to defend its land and its people.

He also said that Trump’s threats have irreparably damaged the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and have made the US an unreliable partner.

‘No threat form China, Russia’

Jarlov, head of the Danish parliament’s defence committee, also rejected Trump’s claims that Greenland faces a threat from China and Russia.

According to Jarlov, Greenland is not threatened by China or Russia. He pointed out that neither Russia nor China is anywhere close to being able to take control of the island.

Amid the escalating threat from the US, a host of European countries have sent a handful of their military personnel to Greenland, a move that has further annoyed Trump, who slapped them with tariffs.

‘Europe will stand together’

When asked about European solidarity in Greenland against the US, Jarlov said he was confident about the continent standing together and bearing the cost.

“It is a big ask for other European countries to stand up to the US. It could cost them a lot of money if this escalates into a trade war or worse. But everyone can see this is not reasonable and that it simply doesn’t make any sense. So we are confident that we have the backing of our European allies and others, including Canada,” he said.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also echoed Jarlov and warned that “the worst may still be ahead of us.”

“We are now being threatened by our closest ally,” she told Danish lawmakers on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the Prime Minister of Greenland, said his government is “working and taking this situation very seriously. Nielsen told The Associated Press that his government has had good meetings with NATO and its allies, and that all Western countries should be united by “respect for national, territorial integrity (and) respect for international law.”