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During the NATO summit in Turkey, President Donald Trump vocalizes his disappointment with allied NATO countries, stating they haven’t adequately supported the U.S. He discusses the recent air strikes against Iran, clarifying the U.S. didn’t require assistance, and highlights scheduled meetings with various world leaders to address global issues.
Greenland is “not for sale,” Denmark’s prime minister said Wednesday, vowing to defend the Danish territory after President Donald Trump again said the United States should control the Arctic island for NATO defense.
Denmark is “ready to defend every inch of NATO including our own territory,” Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, adding she would call on NATO allies to honor their commitment to defend each other.
“We hope that all, including all allies, will respect the Greenland people’s right for self-determination,” she continued. “And we are sovereign states and we need everybody to respect our territorial integrity and our sovereignty.
“Greenland is of course not for sale.”
TRUMP MAKES FRESH GREENLAND PLAY AFTER XI TALKS AS CHINA’S ARCTIC AMBITIONS LOOM
President Donald Trump’s designs to buy or takeover Greenland for Arctic security has riled up Europe, NATO, and anti-American leftists. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images; Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump continues to stress Greenland “is very important” for the U.S. but not for Denmark, declaring, “We need it for protection of the world, not just the United States.”
Also, Denmark is coming up short in its support for Greenland, which remains a strategic target for both Russia and China.
“That’s what hurt my relationship with NATO,” Trump said Tuesday of the refusal to grant his request for annexation of the strategic land.
“Denmark doesn’t spend money to really help Greenland, but it’s an important part for the United States. And it’s surrounded by China ships and Russian ships.”
GREENLAND TALKS ON ‘GOOD TRAJECTORY,’ WHITE HOUSE SAYS AMID TRUMP TAKEOVER PUSH
Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued a defiant message against President Donald Trump’s designs on Greenland at the 2026 NATO Leaders Summit on Wednesday in Ankara, Turkey. (Serdar Ozsoy/Getty Images)
For global security, Greenland “should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark,” Trump added.
“They wouldn’t go along with it,” Trump lamented. “And with all the money we spend to help them with Russia. And we don’t have to spend any money, we could remove all of our soldiers out of Europe because, as you probably noticed, Europe is a very different place than it was 20 years ago. A lot different.”
Greenland is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, a NATO ally. Trump’s push for U.S. control has repeatedly angered Danish and Greenlandic officials, who have insisted the island’s future should be decided by its people.
Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir also weighed in Wednesday, saying Greenland’s people “do not wish to be a part of the United States” and urging NATO leaders to stay focused on Russia.
TRUMP CALLS OUT NATO AHEAD OF SUMMIT, CALLING IT ‘RIDICULOUS’ FOR US TO PERSIST ON ‘ONE SIDED PATH’
NATO Secretary Gen. Mark Rutte attempts to assure President Donald Trump on Wednesday in a news conference that allies are increasing their financial commitments so Europe’s defense is not all on the U.S. taxpayers. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The dispute injected a tense territorial confrontation into a summit already shaped by Trump’s demands that allies spend more on defense and take greater responsibility for Europe’s security as the U.S. shifts its focus.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte sought to emphasize the alliance’s recent defense spending increases, telling Trump that European allies and Canada had made major new commitments.
“I would argue that without you in this chair, this would not have happened,” Rutte told Trump. “Grab the win. It’s there.”
Trump, however, continued criticizing allies over both Greenland and Iran, where he ordered overnight U.S. strikes after attacks on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Rutte backed the U.S. strikes, telling Trump they were “absolutely necessary.”
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The NATO summit is also expected to address Ukraine’s war against Russia, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressing allies for deeper support and renewed consideration of Ukraine’s bid to join the alliance.
But Trump’s comments on Greenland underscored a growing challenge for NATO leaders: projecting unity against outside threats while managing disputes inside the alliance itself.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Eric Mack is a breaking news reporter and writer Sunday through Thursday, 6 a.m. ET to 2 p.m. ET, with a particular interest in stories that lead the news cycle on politics, elections, foreign affairs and government.
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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG.
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