Greenland does not exclude the option of an American attack / The Pentagon has not yet received orders to plan an invasion

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Tuesday that it was unlikely that the US would use military force against Greenland, but that the scenario of an attack could not be completely ruled out.

Nielsen held a press conference in Nuuk alongside former Prime Minister Mute B. Egede, who announced that officials in the territory are reviewing their population preparedness strategies, according to The New York Times (NYT).

“We have to be prepared for all the things that could happen,” said Egede, currently a parliament member of Greenland.

Both officials reiterated that Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, is part of NATO and warned that an escalation would have consequences that go beyond the island's shores. The two condemned threats launched by US President Donald Trump on social media, which Nielsen called “disrespectful”. He said Greenland would respond through official channels.

There are no imminent plans for an invasion at the Pentagon

The President of the United States has talked about the possibility of using the armed forces to take control of Greenland, but there are no imminent plans at the Pentagon, two US officials said on Tuesday, on condition of anonymity, according to the NYT.

Although the Pentagon makes plans for all kinds of military contingencies, Trump has not yet given orders to plan an invasion of Greenland or prepare plans for the aftermath of such an operation, the officials explained.

In Greenland, so far there have been no calls to the population to stock up on essential products.

Governments in the northern region had issued such messages to address growing threats in recent years. For example, at the end of 2024, authorities in Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway updated their advice for citizens regarding survival in the event of war or other crises. At the time, their main concern was possible aggression from Russia.

Additional US rates for several European countries

Over the weekend, Trump threatened eight European countries – Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Finland – to impose additional tariffs on them until “an agreement for the full and complete sale of Greenland” is reached. This surcharge, of 10%, will enter into force on February 1 and could reach 25% on June 1, according to the American president.

On Tuesday, the main political groups in the European Parliament confirmed that the institution decided to suspend the ratification process of the trade agreement between the EU and the US.

Also on Tuesday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stayed in Copenhagen to address parliament instead of going to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos. She said that neither the Danes nor the Greenlanders wanted to become “the center of conflict between the United States and Europe.”

“On both sides, a trade war will cost jobs,” she said, a day before Trump attended the World Economic Forum. “On both sides, it will hurt the economy,” Mette Frederiksen pointed out.