Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she does not believe the United States will use military force to seize Greenland, warning that any such move would carry grave consequences for NATO and trans-Atlantic security.
Speaking at her traditional New Year’s press conference, Meloni said a reinforced NATO presence in the Arctic could help address U.S. concerns about rival powers’ influence in the region and reduce the pressure for unilateral action by Washington.
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“I continue not to believe in the hypothesis that the United States would launch a military action to take control of Greenland, an option I would clearly not support,” said Meloni, who is seen as one of President Donald Trump’s closest allies in Europe.
The White House said Tuesday that the United States was considering a range of options to acquire Greenland, including the use of military force, comments that drew immediate unease among several NATO members. Meloni said it was “clear to everyone” that any U.S. move on Greenland would have significant implications for the alliance, adding that this was precisely why she did not think Washington would follow through.
The remarks come amid rising tensions over U.S. policy in the Arctic and Europe’s role in shaping security there. Those tensions have been sharpened by last weekend’s U.S. swoop on Venezuela, which rekindled questions about Trump’s intentions toward Greenland. While most EU leaders criticized the United States for grabbing President Nicolás Maduro in a daring military raid, Meloni said she supported the operation. “I agreed with Trump on Venezuela. I do not agree with him on Greenland,” she said.
Meloni argued it would be in no one’s interest for the United States to take control of the vast Arctic territory, which is strategically located between Europe and North America. “I think it would not even be in the interest of the United States of America, to be clear,” she said.
Even so, the Italian leader pressed for a stronger NATO footprint in the High North to address U.S. anxieties about “excessive interference from other actors that could even be hostile.” She framed that approach as a way to balance deterrence and alliance cohesion without tipping into escalation.
Despite her alignment with Trump on some issues, Meloni emphasized her willingness to push back. She was the only European leader to attend his inauguration last year, yet said her friendship with the U.S. president did not blunt her views on international law. “There are many things on which I do not agree with Trump. For example, I believe international law must be strongly defended… When I disagree, I tell him, I have no difficulty doing so,” she said.
The diplomatic apparatus moved in parallel. The U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and “discussed the significance of Arctic security for all NATO Allies.” Multiple alliance members voiced concern after the White House’s Tuesday statement that Washington was weighing options to acquire Greenland, including the use of force.
On the military side, the commander of NATO forces in Europe, U.S. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, said the alliance remained steady despite the rhetoric. “There’s been no impact on my work at the military level up to this point… I would just say that we’re ready to defend every inch of alliance territory still today,” he told reporters during a visit to Finland. “So I see us as far from being in a crisis right now.”
In Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, residents voiced anxiety and frustration over renewed U.S. efforts to acquire the island, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark. Speaking to RTÉ’s deputy foreign editor Edmund Heaphy, a retired university lecturer said the threats were keeping her up at night. “I don’t like to talk about [Donald Trump] because he spoils my sleep. I don’t sleep very well because I’m afraid,” she said. Another resident called the U.S. push “annoying,” citing the long history of cooperation between Greenland, Denmark and the United States.
Meloni’s message — reject a forcible U.S. bid for Greenland while bolstering NATO’s Arctic posture — underscores the delicate balancing act facing European leaders as they try to manage alliance dynamics, deter rivals in the High North and avoid a rupture that would reverberate across the Atlantic.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
