The Danish intelligence service has for the first time indicated that the United States could pose a potential security threat. This is interpreted as a reassessment of Copenhagen’s attitude toward a close ally amid disputes over Greenland.
Risk assessment
In its annual report, one of the country’s leading intelligence agencies states that the United States increasingly defends its own interests and uses economic and technological levers as instruments of pressure, sometimes even against partners.
The United States uses economic power, including threats of high tariffs, to impose its will and no longer rules out the use of military force, even against allies
– Danish Defence Intelligence Service
The document also notes a rise in American interest in Greenland against the backdrop of intensified competition for influence in the Arctic.
Position on Greenland
The assessment was published after a series of statements by US President Donald Trump about the need to control Greenland, which have strained relations between Copenhagen and Washington.
The American leader has repeatedly not ruled out using military means to realize such intentions.
The Baltic region is the area where there is the greatest risk of Russia using military force against NATO
– Danish Defence Intelligence Service
At the same time, the intelligence service emphasizes that Russia and China remain the main sources of danger, and the overall level of threats to Denmark has increased. Uncertainty about the role of the United States as a guarantor of European security may encourage Russia to escalate hybrid attacks, while China continues to use economic and military levers to weaken Western influence.
- On 23 December 2024 Trump said it was necessary for the United States to control Greenland.
- On 7 January 2025 he said that Denmark should cede Greenland to the US and did not rule out military coercion.
- On 30 March 2025 he again did not rule out the possibility of using force to take control of the island.
