Trump-Greenland latest: White House warns it’s ‘always an option’ to use US military to take territory

We’re hearing now from France’s foreign affairs minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who says France is working on a plan on how to respond should the US act on its threat to take over Greenland.

Barrot said the subject would be raised at his meeting with the foreign ministers of Germany and Poland later in the day.

The White House said on Tuesday that President Donald Trump is discussing options for acquiring Greenland, including potential use of the U.S. military, in a revival of his ambition to control the strategic island despite European objections.

The Nato alliance could be in “grave jeopardy” if a conversation around the US seizure of Greenland continues, the US’ former national security adviser has said.

“Of course nobody’s going to fight us over it, but it doesn’t mean we should take territory from a treaty ally,” John Bolton told CNN’s News Central.

“And if we do that or if, frankly, this conversation goes on much longer, I think the NATO alliance is in grave jeopardy. This is a self-inflicted wound by the Trump administration. It harms American security. It does not enhance it by this kind of talk about Greenland.”

Also speaking on the show was Democrat senator Jeanne Shaheen, who said she does not “believe [the threat] is serious” because it would involve undermining Nato.

“That would be crazy if the president tries to take Greenland,” she said. “They’re happy to partner with us. I mean to create this kind of antagonism with one of our best allies, which is Denmark… to create that kind of distrust just is undermining to our own national security here in America.”

European leaders have rallied together against US threats to takeover Greenland, declaring on Tuesday that “it is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland”.

A joint statement issued by British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, Poland’s Donald Tusk, Spain’s Pedro Sanchez and Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen, declared that Greenland “belongs to its people”.

“Arctic security remains a key priority for Europe and it is critical for international and transatlantic security,” it said.

The US is an “essential partner” in the endeavour to keep the Arctic safe, as an ally in the Nato alliance.

But the statement was met with one from the White House which declared that Donald Trump is looking at a “range of options” to acquire Greenland.

The White House was clear on Tuesday that it is ready to use the military to achieve a takeover of Greenland.

“The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US military is always an option at the Commander-in-Chief’s disposal,” it said in a statement.

It is an unprecedented threat to use military force against a territory which belongs to a Nato country – Denmark.

It also raises questions around whether other Nato countries would come to Greenland’s defence if the US were to attempt a military seizure, which is one of the alliance’s defining principles.

From Seoul to California to Caracas, protests erupted across continents following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela.

Demonstrators gathered outside the U.S. embassy in South Korea and on the streets of Pasadena, calling for an end to military action, accountability from president Donald Trump and a turn towards diplomacy.

In Caracas, supporters of ousted President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, rallied in defiance, chanting slogans and denouncing what they described as foreign aggression.

President Donald Trump’s administration has put 25 more countries on a list of nations whose citizens could be required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to apply for entry into the U.S., the State Department website showed on Tuesday.

The list mostly included countries from Africa, Latin America and South Asia. It had a total of 38 countries as of Tuesday. The policy for the newly added nations will go into effect 21 January, the State Department website said.

Venezuela, whose toppled leader Nicolas Maduro was seized by U.S. forces over the weekend and brought to New York, was also included in the list.

“Any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond for $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000,” the State Department website said, adding the amount was determined at the time of the visa interview.

Applicants must agree to the terms of the bond through the U.S. Treasury Department’s online payment platform, Pay.gov, the State Department said.

The U.S. government has said the bonds seek to deter visitors from overstaying their visas intended for tourism or business purposes.

Since taking office last January, Trump, a Republican, has pursued a hard-line immigration policy, involving an aggressive deportation drive, revocations of visas and green cards and screening of social media posts and past speeches of immigrants.

Human rights groups have widely condemned Trump’s immigration and travel-related policies, saying they curb due process guarantees and free speech.

Trump and his allies say the policies seek to improve domestic security.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump administration officials are discussing a wide range of options for acquiring Greenland, including using the US military to take it by force.

She said discussions include purchasing the territory from Denmark or establishing a compact of free association.

“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region,” Leavitt said.

“The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal.”

Trump wants the issue resolved before the end of his term.

The Danish Embassy in Washington is yet to comment on the matter.

Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, has again become a flashpoint after White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said it was the formal position of the US government that Greenland should become part of the United States.

Trump reiterated over the weekend that the US “needs” the territory.

Denmark has firmly rejected the idea, warning that any US military move against Greenland would effectively end NATO.

“If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops,” prime minister Mette Frederiksen told local media on Monday.

“That is, including our NATO, and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War.”

With the dramatic US military capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro earlier this week, global attention has shifted to how allies respond – not least the UK under prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Dr Dafydd Townley, an expert from the University of Portsmouth’s Military Education Team, said the method in which the US operation was conducted has divided America’s allies, with its harshest critics calling it totally against international law.

“It has placed Sir Keir Starmer in an awkward position. He must keep on the good side of Donald Trump, as he is acutely aware, but his failure to condemn the act has drawn criticism,” he said.

The UK government has not condemned the US raid outright, as the British prime minister attempts to walk a fine line between defending international law and keeping the US president on side.

He has said he wanted to “establish the facts” before passing judgment on whether Trump broke international law with the attack on Caracas while insisting the UK was not involved in the operation.

However, some of America’s closest allies strongly criticized the US military raid that captured Venezuela’s leader, raising objections at an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting.

They argued that the operation violated international law and the U.N. Charter.

At the meeting, countries including France, Denmark, Russia and China demanded Maduro’s release.

“Where does Trump turn next? Greenland, Cuba, and Columbia have all been touted as potentially receiving the same treatment as Venezuela. Is this yet more of the foundations of the international order being pulled down? Not quite, but this presidency is proving to be contentious and consequential,” Dr Townley said.