Former national security adviser John Bolton said Monday that President Trump’s musings about taking over Greenland pose a threat to the strength of the NATO alliance.
“As for Greenland, every time he mentions this, Trump endangers the NATO alliance,” Bolton said in an interview on CNN’s “The Source,” when asked about the president’s threats to a number of countries in the wake of the U.S. operation to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power.
“And if we were to take military action against Greenland, God forbid, it would be the end of NATO,” he continued. “There are some in the administration who would consider that a twofer, unfortunately.”
Trump has frequently toyed with the possibility of taking over Greenland — a semiautonomous territory of Denmark — noting its usefulness for U.S. security interests. But those threats took on a greater weight this weekend, after the Trump administration carried out a stunning military operation, capturing Maduro and his wife and bringing them to New York to face narco-terrorism charges.
Amid questions about which country could face a similar fate, Trump told reporters Sunday about Greenland: “It’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.”
“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he added.
Bolton, who worked in the first Trump administration but now frequently criticizes the president, said Trump’s remarks are just “the president running his mouth,” when asked if they reveal a new approach to his foreign policy.
The renewed threats have sparked concern among European leaders, including the prime ministers of Greenland and Denmark.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen similarly warned that any attack on Greenland — which enjoys NATO protection by virtue of being part of Denmark — could threaten the alliance.
“I believe one should take the American president seriously when he says that he wants Greenland,” Frederiksen said in an interview with Danish broadcaster TV2, according to a translation from Bloomberg.
“But I will also make it clear that if the U.S. chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops, including NATO and thus the security that has been established since the end of the Second World War,” she added.