Donald Trump may be convinced to leave Greenland alone should Europe "repackage" security measures and "put a big bow on top" of a potential deal.
The president made it clear he wanted the Kingdom of Denmark's territory for security reasons but has faced resistance from NATO nations. A European Union diplomat familiar with the details of one proposed plan has suggested it could be enough to convince Trump to leave Greenland alone if other nations can make security assurances.
Speaking to Politico, the unnamed insider said, "If you can smartly repackage Arctic security, blend in critical minerals, put a big bow on top, there’s a chance." They added that "this is always how things have gone" when negotiating on defense.
But another diplomat says Trump will not be as easily swayed as some are hoping. The insider suggested the Make America Great Again slogan had become "a geographical concept; he wants to go down in history as the man who has made America ‘greater’ — in geographical terms".
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has since warned that, should Trump approve military action in Greenland, it would be unlike anything the organization had dealt with since its founding in 1947.
Minister Pistorius said, "It would be an unprecedented situation in the history of NATO and any defense alliance. EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius and Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen have both said NATO "would stop" should Trump breach its rules.
A third unnamed diplomat added, "This is serious - and Europe is scared." EU countries have already been urged to "cut the cord" with Trump's administration should he pursue an invasion of Greenland.
Alexander Hurst, writing in The Guardian, suggested EU leaders must stand against the new image of the US as an "active and hostile" threat to friendly nations.
He wrote, "Will its leaders have the courage to tell the full truth – that the US isn’t simply abandoning its allies and destroying the international order but is now in the position of active and hostile predation by force – and more importantly, to act on it?"
"Donald Trump has already set the tone by saying the US will seize Greenland 'one way or the other', and no part of the triumvirate around him is trying to hide their imperial intentions any more."