Experts warn U.S. seizure of Greenland could paralyze NATO

President Trump has threatened to seize control of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, raising concerns that the move could test or destroy the trans‑Atlantic NATO alliance. Top diplomats from Greenland and Denmark will meet with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House on Wednesday, the Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said.

The NATO treaty’s Article 5 treats an attack on one ally as an attack on all, but it does not contemplate one ally striking another and has been invoked only once, after Sept. 11, 2001, so there is no precedent, analysts and officials note. Sten Rynning, a NATO analyst, said a U.S.

invasion would allow the United States to block the alliance from intervening and that "NATO would be stuck," and he warned Russia might try to exploit any internal chaos. Retired Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer said he does not think Mr. Trump will use force because it would be "the end of NATO" and suggested the threats amount to a negotiation tactic.

Allies are increasingly focusing on Arctic security as warming seas open shipping lanes to Russian and Chinese naval and commercial activity, and NATO members are devising plans to better secure Greenland’s surrounding waters. U.S.

Key Topics

World, Donald Trump, Greenland, Nato, Denmark, Arctic Security