A Financial Times report on Tuesday revealed that the EU and NATO agreed to remain silent on Greenland following a request from Denmark, which urged its allies not to respond to Donald Trump’s threats to acquire the Arctic island.

As mentioned in the report, Copenhagen's approach of sidestepping public confrontation with Trump—closely coordinated with NATO and the EU, according to four officials—highlights the challenge faced by US allies in navigating the US president's combative diplomatic tactics.

It is worth mentioning that Trump engaged in a tense 45-minute phone call with Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen last week, plunging Copenhagen into what officials described as “crisis mode.” He also threatened to impose tariffs on Denmark and did not rule out the possibility of seizing Greenland by force.

Trump reaffirmed over the weekend that he “will get” Greenland, while ridiculing Copenhagen’s defense capabilities, sarcastically referring to their reliance on “dog sleighs” to protect the island, which houses the largest US military presence in the Arctic. 

Talks on Greenland, away from Trump 

The US, a NATO ally of Denmark, shares a mutual defense agreement, while the EU's treaty includes a similar clause. Initially, Danish and EU officials viewed Trump's Greenland comments as a tactic for influence in the Arctic amid rising Russian and Chinese interest, according to the report. 

However, they now see the issue as more serious, with global implications if NATO or the EU fail to condemn a sovereignty violation by an ally. Despite this, officials have opted to downplay public discussion, fearing that openly challenging Trump could worsen the crisis.

“A low profile seems to be the safest bet with Trump. Hopefully, he will be distracted by something else,” one senior European official said.

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Another senior EU official said, “We believe a tit-for-tat approach is not useful. [But] we all stand by our basic principles, such as national sovereignty and territorial integrity, that must be respected. We are ready, and the Danes know that, to reaffirm that whenever needed.”

Frederiksen will embark on a swift diplomatic tour on Tuesday, meeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Brussels.  

On Sunday, she met with her Norwegian and Swedish counterparts and Finland’s president in Copenhagen, where Greenland was a topic of discussion.  

No joint declaration was issued after the meeting, nor have there been attempts to coordinate NATO or EU statements in defense of Denmark or Greenland.

EU chooses silence over confrontation 

Behind the scenes, senior officials in Brussels, Copenhagen, and Nuuk are discussing ways to strengthen the EU's partnership with Greenland on critical raw materials extraction and energy, according to two European officials familiar with the talks, as cited by the report. 

“There’s a lot of discreet work going on right now to see how we can strengthen cooperation with Greenland,” said one of the officials. They added the EU wanted to avoid appearing like the EU was making an offer, after years of inaction, “because Trump has put it on the agenda”.

Frederiksen’s government is “doing the right thing in communicating to the Americans in a firm but polite way,” said Rasmus Jarlov, a former Danish minister and current MP from the opposition Conservative party.

“It’s a good idea not to engage in verbal exchanges with the Trump administration. It’s a good idea to talk to allies in [the] rest of Europe; Europe should stand together if the situation should escalate,” he added.

The report mentioned that some officials have expressed concerns over whether Europe could mount a credible response if Trump follows through on his threats regarding Greenland.

“I’m not saying there’s no plan,” said the second European official, “But we don’t really have an alternative approach.”