WASHINGTON,January 7,2026 – A potential U.S. military intervention in Greenland could spell the end of NATO, according to senior U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, as the alliance would be obligated to defend the territory and potentially find itself at war with European nations.
NATO’s Future Hinges on Greenland,Senator Warns
A U.S. move to annex Greenland could trigger a conflict with European allies and dismantle the decades-old transatlantic alliance.
- Senator Murphy warned that a U.S.takeover of Greenland would force NATO to defend the territory.
- Denmark’s prime minister accused the U.S. of “turning its back on NATO” amid escalating tensions.
- The U.S. president has publicly stated his desire to acquire Greenland “one way or the other.”
- Military leaders are reportedly resisting a plan to invade Greenland, deeming it illegal.
- European officials echo concerns, citing treaty obligations to defend Denmark.
“It would be the end of NATO, right? NATO would have an obligation to defend Greenland,” the Connecticut senator and member of the Senate foreign Relations Committee said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press. He further asserted that such a move would inevitably lead to conflict “clearly … we would be at war with Europe, with England, with France.”
These comments followed remarks from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who accused the U.S. president of “turning his back on NATO” and pursuing a course of action that would destabilize the alliance.Frederiksen spoke alongside Greenland’s Minister of Finance, Pele Broberg Motzfeldt, and U.S. secretary of State Marco rubio.
“We are at a crossroads, and this is a fateful moment,” Frederiksen stated at a political rally.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators,including Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski,announced plans Sunday to visit Copenhagen to meet with members of the Danish parliament’s Greenland committee.
Andrius Kubilius, defence commissioner of the European Union, echoed the concerns of Murphy and frederiksen on Monday.He noted that an EU treaty “obligated” member states to provide assistance to Denmark in the event of military action by the U.S.
“I agree with the Danish prime minister that it will be the end of NATO, but also among people it will be also very, very negative,” Kubilius told Reuters at a security conference in Sweden. “It will depend very much on Denmark, how they will react, what will be their position, but definitely there is such an obligation of member states to come for mutual assistance if another member state is facing military aggression.”
Murphy also criticized the president’s focus on Greenland, linking it to other actions and priorities. He accused the president of being distracted from domestic issues.
“Let’s also talk about what’s at stake here,” Murphy said. “The president is spending every single day thinking about invading Greenland, managing the Venezuelan economy, building a ballroom.”
He continued, highlighting domestic concerns: “He is not thinking about the american people at all. This month, health insurance premiums on 22 million Americans are going up, doubling in some cases. Kids aren’t able to eat three meals because the administration has slashed food assistance. And so every single day, the president is thinking about Greenland, his ballroom, Venezuela. He is spending no time thinking about the actual crises that are being visited on American families. That is the underlying reality of a White House that has become out of control.”
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