Trump renews call for US to take over Greenland as he arrives for Nato summit | Nato
US politics | The Guardian — 2026-07-07 16:49:00 — www.theguardian.com
Trump Threatens NATO Withdrawal, Revives Greenland Bid, and Attacks European Allies
Donald Trump has reignited his controversial proposal for the United States to acquire Greenland, while also threatening to withdraw all American troops from Europe in response to what he describes as repeated pushback from the continent. Speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump linked his wavering commitment to defending Europe to political decisions by European leaders on immigration and energy, suggesting these issues have fundamentally changed the region.
Trump criticized former UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, claiming that Starmer’s decision to keep the UK out of the war against Iran contributed to his political downfall. Trump asserted, “I was very disappointed with Nato. We weren’t treated well because we did something in Iran. We don’t need anybody’s help, but before I asked they said they wouldn’t be there.” He further claimed, “In the case of the United Kingdom, the prime minister, I guess he’s no longer there, maybe because of this, it was a very unpopular thing he did. He said: ‘No, we’ll help after the war is over.’ I said: ‘We don’t need that kind of help.’” In reality, Starmer’s stance was popular with the British public, contradicting Trump’s assertion.
Reviving a previous dispute, Trump argued that Denmark’s refusal to sell Greenland had “hurt” his relationship with NATO, stating, “Denmark doesn’t spend money to really help Greenland, but it’s an important part for the US, and it’s surrounded by China ships and Russian ships … [It] should be controlled by the US, not by Denmark. And when they wouldn’t go along with it, and with all the money we spend to help them with Russia…” This claim ignores the fact that Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, and its future is determined by its own people and Denmark, not the US.
Trump also threatened to remove all US soldiers from Europe, warning, “We don’t have to spend any money; we could remove all of our soldiers out of Europe because, as you probably noticed, Europe’s a very different place than it was 20 years ago … they better be careful with immigration and energy. If they’re not careful with those two things, you’re not going to have a Europe any more.”
Renewing his longstanding criticism of NATO allies, Trump accused European members of not spending enough on defense and being overly reliant on the US. “Why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars and they’re not there for us? We’ve always been there for them,” he said. However, NATO’s mutual defense clause has only been triggered once—after the September 11 attacks—when allies joined US troops in Afghanistan, underscoring the alliance’s record of support for the US.
Conclusion
Trump’s statements at the NATO summit reflect a pattern of exaggerations, misstatements, and confrontational rhetoric toward America’s European allies. His revived interest in acquiring Greenland, threats to withdraw US troops, and repeated claims about NATO burden-sharing continue to strain transatlantic relations and misrepresent the facts on the ground. As European nations move forward with new defense collaborations, Trump’s posture raises ongoing questions about the future of the alliance and America’s role within it.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/07/trump-renews-call-us-take-over-greenland-nato