![US President Donald Trump arrives at Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Türkiye, on Tuesday to attend the 2026 NATO summit. [EPA]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/07/08/news-p.v1.20260708.a850cb5300164a5f8c554a0f5f5abc78_P1.jpg)
Follow the Herald Business international desk's daily Trump briefing for the latest on US foreign policy and global affairs.
US President Donald Trump has renewed his claim that Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, must come under American control — his first such public statement on the issue in months. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen fired back, calling on allies to respect Denmark's sovereignty, raising fresh concerns that the Greenland dispute, dormant for months, may be resurfacing.
Trump raised the issue Tuesday upon arriving in Ankara, Türkiye, for the NATO summit. Speaking to reporters, he described Greenland as "the reason" the relationship between the United States and NATO had been strained, and repeated his earlier position that "Greenland should be controlled by the United States, not Denmark."
Frederiksen, also in Ankara for the summit, responded immediately. She said she expected allies to respect Denmark's sovereignty and to accept that Greenland is not for sale — an indirect but pointed expression of displeasure at Trump's remarks.
Trump had previously stoked tensions with Denmark and other European NATO allies in January, when he declared that the United States needed Greenland for its national security — citing the territory's strategic position in the Arctic and its rich deposits of rare earth minerals — and signaled a willingness to use military force to take it.
As Europe pushed back sharply and transatlantic tensions escalated, Trump softened his stance, saying he would pursue Greenland through diplomacy. Three-way negotiations among the United States, Denmark and Greenland have since been underway.
Denmark and Greenland have remained on alert throughout, maintaining that Trump has never truly abandoned his ambitions over the territory.
Meanwhile, Denmark's Defense Ministry announced Tuesday that it would purchase two US-made maritime patrol aircraft to strengthen its surveillance capabilities over the Arctic — including Greenland — and the North Atlantic, according to the German news agency dpa.
The aircraft Denmark intends to buy are Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol planes, a type widely regarded as purpose-built for monitoring vast stretches of ocean and detecting enemy submarines.
Danish Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus said the new aircraft would "significantly enhance Denmark's ability to defend its sovereignty and monitor the region," adding that the acquisition was "a clear signal that we are taking our shared defense responsibilities within NATO seriously."
yckim6452@heraldcorp.com
