EU chief unveils €200m Greenland package amid tensions over Trump claims
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled a 200-million-euro investment package for Greenland during the second of a two-day visit. The European Union has increased its focus on the vast, strategic island since President Donald Trump began insisting that the United States should take control of it for security reasons.
Issued on: 07/09/2026 - RFI
Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (C), Greenland's government leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen (L), and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (R) visit Qoornoq, Greenland on Sunday, 6 September 2026.
Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scan
Following a two-day visit to Nuuk, the capital of the Danish autonomous territory, von der Leyen stressed that "Greenland's future is for the people of Greenland and Denmark to decide, no one else."
US President Donald Trump insisted earlier this year that Washington needed to control Greenland for national security reasons, though he ultimately ruled out annexing it by force.
"Territorial integrity sovereignty, the inviolability of borders, these are fundamental principles of international law," von der Leyen told a press conference alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic counterpart Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
Von der Leyen also announced the EU-Greenland Partnership Package, which comes on top of the doubling of direct EU aid to Greenland, intended to support the development of concrete projects.
Von der Leyen said the investment partnership "will create new opportunities and a strong and engaged EU in both Greenland and the Arctic, because Greenland is a strategic ally and a trusted friend."
'American? No!' says Greenland after latest Trump threat
It will also help Greenland improve education and fisheries, internet connectivity, hydropower systems, and the use of critical raw minerals. Funds are also earmarked for better housing, support to small businesses and sustainable tourism.
US President Donald Trump’s persistent claims on the island have raised sovereignty concerns and pushback from Greenlandic and Danish leaders and heightened tensions among NATO allies.
Denmark and seven of its European allies sent a small group of military personnel to the island in January, publicly for military exercises focused on strengthening Arctic security, but with the intention of showing support for Greenland’s sovereignty.
Following a two-day visit to Nuuk, the capital of the Danish autonomous territory, von der Leyen stressed that "Greenland's future is for the people of Greenland and Denmark to decide, no one else."
US President Donald Trump insisted earlier this year that Washington needed to control Greenland for national security reasons, though he ultimately ruled out annexing it by force.
"Territorial integrity sovereignty, the inviolability of borders, these are fundamental principles of international law," von der Leyen told a press conference alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic counterpart Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
Von der Leyen also announced the EU-Greenland Partnership Package, which comes on top of the doubling of direct EU aid to Greenland, intended to support the development of concrete projects.
Von der Leyen said the investment partnership "will create new opportunities and a strong and engaged EU in both Greenland and the Arctic, because Greenland is a strategic ally and a trusted friend."
'American? No!' says Greenland after latest Trump threat
It will also help Greenland improve education and fisheries, internet connectivity, hydropower systems, and the use of critical raw minerals. Funds are also earmarked for better housing, support to small businesses and sustainable tourism.
US President Donald Trump’s persistent claims on the island have raised sovereignty concerns and pushback from Greenlandic and Danish leaders and heightened tensions among NATO allies.
Denmark and seven of its European allies sent a small group of military personnel to the island in January, publicly for military exercises focused on strengthening Arctic security, but with the intention of showing support for Greenland’s sovereignty.
A Danish serviceman climbs out of a hatch on the bow of the military vessel HDMS Knud Rasmussen of the Royal Danish Navy docked in Nuuk, Greenland, on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. AP - Evgeniy Maloletka
In response, Trump threatened to slap new tariffs on all the participating nations: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
"Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral," they said in a statement. "We are committed to upholding our sovereignty."
Trump eventually backed down after NATO agreed to a security deal in the Arctic region.
Von der Leyen’s visit came as 11 NATO countries began military exercises in Greenland on Monday involving around 400 military personnel, including special forces troops trained to operate in Arctic conditions from Canada, Denmark and Finland.
No US troops are taking part in the Arctic Shield drills, which run 7-18 September.
US military presence in Greenland
The US already has a substantial military presence on the island, dating back to World War II.
In 1941, the Danish ambassador to Washington, Henrik Kaufmann, signed a defence agreement granting American forces almost unlimited rights to establish bases and installations on the island to protect it from Nazi Germany.
By the end of the war, the US had built 17 installations across Greenland, including major air bases at Narsarsuaq and Sondrestrom, as well as weather stations, radio beacons, ports, depots and artillery posts.
Greenland’s strategic importance grew massively since the Cold War: in 1951, under a new Greenland Defence Agreement, Washington constructed the top-secret Thule Air Base (now Pituffik Space Base) in north-west Greenland, placing it near the shortest route to the Soviet Union.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance pose with personnel at the US military's Pituffik Space Base in Greenland on March 28, 2025. via REUTERS - JIM WATSON
During the height of the Cold War, Thule served as a critical staging base for long-range bombers, an intercept point for Soviet aircraft, and a hub for ballistic missile early warning radars, at one point hosting close to 10,000 US and Danish personnel.
Scaled down
After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the American military footprint in Greenland was significantly scaled down.
Most of the wartime and Cold War-era bases were closed or converted to civilian use, leaving Thule – renamed Pituffik Space Base in 2023 – as the only remaining US installation on the island.
While its role shifted from nuclear deterrence and bomber operations to missile warning, space surveillance and satellite operations.
During the height of the Cold War, Thule served as a critical staging base for long-range bombers, an intercept point for Soviet aircraft, and a hub for ballistic missile early warning radars, at one point hosting close to 10,000 US and Danish personnel.
Scaled down
After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the American military footprint in Greenland was significantly scaled down.
Most of the wartime and Cold War-era bases were closed or converted to civilian use, leaving Thule – renamed Pituffik Space Base in 2023 – as the only remaining US installation on the island.
While its role shifted from nuclear deterrence and bomber operations to missile warning, space surveillance and satellite operations.
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