Trump renews Greenland acquisition push at NATO summit, threatens US troop withdrawal from Europe

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during a bilateral meeting at the Bestepe Presidential Compound, following Trump’s arrival to attend the annual NATO Summit on July 7, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. Credit: Win Mcnamee | Getty Images

President Donald Trump on Tuesday revived his push for the United States to acquire Greenland, and suggested the U.S. could withdraw all of its armed forces from Europe in response to the continent's continued opposition to the idea.

• Trump made the remarks shortly after arriving in Ankara, Turkey, for a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
• The 32-member alliance — which includes Denmark, of which Greenland is a part — fell into crisis in January after Trump demanded the U.S. take control of the island territory on national security grounds.

Bilateral Meeting with Turkish President

During a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday afternoon local time, Trump vented that Europe's refusal to support his expansionist ambition is "what hurt my relationship with NATO."

"Because Greenland doesn't help Denmark. Denmark doesn't spend money to really help Greenland, but it's an important part for the United States," Trump told reporters.

"And it's surrounded by China ships and Russian ships, and that's not going to happen, the ships, is, it's not going to happen," he said, repeating claims about foreign military threats against the self-governing island that experts on Greenland have denied.

Key Statements

Trump continued:

• "It should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark."
• "And when they wouldn't go along with it, and with all the money we spend to help them with Russia — 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."
• "And 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 anymore."

He then ended the portion of the meeting that was open to the press.

Geopolitical Context

Trump's comments thrust Greenland — a vast, sparsely populated, and largely frozen Arctic island — back into the geopolitical spotlight.

Trump has long argued the U.S. needs control of the Danish territory. In 2019, he said his administration was interested in purchasing the island because it was essential for U.S. national security, though at the time he conceded the idea was "not number one on the burner."

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