European leaders are sounding the alarm over US threats toward Greenland, with Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez delivering the sharpest rebuke yet. In a bombshell Sunday interview with La Vanguardia, he warned that military moves on the territory would shatter NATO unity, validate Russia’s Ukraine assault, and leave Putin grinning from ear to ear.
Sanchez painted a grim picture of the consequences: normalizing brute force for territorial gains—echoing Russia’s condemned 2022 incursion—would cripple the West’s ethical high ground. ‘The geopolitical repercussions would be profound,’ he stated, as it risks unraveling alliances when global security hangs in the balance.
Trump’s rhetoric fueled the fire, imposing tariff warnings on eight pro-Denmark European states via Truth Social. He claimed America has footed the bill for Denmark and EU security too long, demanding repayment now that China and Russia covet Greenland. His colorful dismissal of Danish defenses as ‘two dogsleds’ (one newly added) amplified the provocation.
From London, PM Keir Starmer took to X to assert that Greenland remains Danish territory, with its fate for locals and Copenhagen to decide. He stressed NATO’s shared stake in Arctic safety, decried ally tariffs as misguided, and vowed bilateral talks with the US to realign on countering Russian Arctic ambitions.
Cyprus, steering the EU presidency, summoned all 27 ambassadors for a crisis meeting Sunday evening. This rapid mobilization reflects continental dread over alliance erosion. As climate change unlocks Greenland’s treasures—from rare earths to strategic sea lanes—the island has become a flashpoint. Sanchez’s intervention signals Europe’s intent to safeguard multilateralism against assertive nationalism.