U.S. President Donald Trump, after beginning his second term, has again declared plans to take control of Greenland, a self-governing territory under Denmark. The announcement came on January 4, a day after a U.S. military operation in Venezuela that captured President Nicolás Maduro on drug terrorism charges. Trump justified the Greenland move as a matter of national security, saying the island is needed for U.S. interests. His stance has raised deep concern across Europe.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said the administration’s position has been clear from the start—that Greenland should be part of the United States. Analysts told Al Jazeera that Trump’s actions could effectively end NATO’s operations and embolden Russia in Ukraine. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that if the U.S. attacks another NATO country, the alliance would collapse. Experts from the Atlantic Council and the University of Chicago echoed that such a move would destroy NATO’s collective defense principle under Article 5.

Despite these tensions, European leaders meeting U.S. officials in Paris to discuss Ukraine’s security guarantees did not address Venezuela or Greenland.