US President Donald Trump renewed his call for the United States to take control of Greenland instead of Denmark at the NATO summit in Ankara on July 7, 2026. He said, "That should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark," citing Greenland's strategic importance due to surrounding Chinese and Russian naval activity and claiming Denmark does not financially support the territory effectively [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].

Trump argued the disagreement over Greenland has damaged his relationship with NATO. He warned that the US might pull all its troops out of Europe if NATO allies fail to meet spending and security demands. He noted Europe’s differing political stances on immigration and energy have also tempered his defense commitments [3, 8, 5, 9].

Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, both founding members of NATO. The two countries have overlapping security interests, including the 1951 Greenland Defense Agreement that allows the US to operate military bases and missile warning systems on the island [1, 2, 4, 10, 6].

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen firmly rejected Trump’s remarks on July 8, reaffirming that "Greenland is, of course, not for sale" and stating, "We are ready to defend every inch of NATO, including our own territory... Of course we will defend the kingdom of Denmark" [11, 10, 9].

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Rasmussen said Denmark is negotiating with the US and Greenland within clear boundaries to find a solution that respects US security interests. Greenland's Prime Minister also indicated in May 2026 that increasing the US military presence on the island is among topics under discussion [10].

During the summit, Trump announced plans to lift sanctions on Turkey by considering the sale of F-35 fighter jets. This move faces opposition from Israel's Prime Minister and some US Congress members due to Turkey’s possession of Russian S-400 missile systems [7].

Trump has urged NATO members to meet the defense spending target of 3.5% of GDP by 2035, linking increased investment to continued US defense commitments in Europe [3].

Negotiations between the US, Denmark, and Greenland over security and defense arrangements are expected to continue following the summit statements.