by WorldTribune Staff, January 15, 2026 Real World News

President Donald Trump has stated that the United States needs Greenland for national security purposes and that that China and Russia have designs on the world’s largest island.

While officials in Denmark and Greenland were quick to dismiss and downplay the scenario, a December assessment by the Danish Defense Intelligence Service (DDIS) warned about very real Russian and Chinese military ambitions around Greenland and the Arctic, Just the News reported on Jan. 13.

The intelligence assessment noted that “for the United States, the Arctic represents the first and most crucial line of early warning in the event of a great-power conflict with Russia or China.”

The report pointed to the radar systems at the U.S.-run Pituffik Space Base in northern Greenland, which “play a central role in detecting hostile missiles heading towards the U.S. mainland.”

Trump has said that Greenland was “covered” with Russian and Chinese ships. Top Danish foreign policy and defense officials reacted quickly, claiming there are not Russian and Chinese ships near Greenland and going so far as to say that it is “delusional” to think Russia and China pose a threat to the massive frozen island.

“Chinese propaganda outlets and its foreign ministry echoed the Danish denials and claimed the U.S. was acting out of a sense of self-interest, not based on security concerns,” Jerry Dunleavy wrote for Just the Nwes.

However, the Danish “Intelligence Outlook 2025” report warned at great length that “China is preparing for a military presence in the Arctic” and that “China’s long-term Arctic interests include Greenland.” The report highlighted Chinese air-based, seaborne, and submersible activities in the Arctic.

The Danish intelligence report further assessed that the China and Russia were collaborating more closely militarily in the Arctic, displaying the growing “DragonBear” alliance between Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

The report noted that Russia “uses every available tool to monitor and chart the waters between Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and the United Kingdom” as “part of the preparations for a potential confrontation with NATO” and as the Kremlin deploys submarines, ships, and planes near Greenland.

The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s annual threat assessment in 2025 also detailed Russian and Chinese ambitions in the Arctic, specifically stating that both U.S. foes had specific strategic interests in Greenland. The Pentagon’s Arctic Strategy — penned in 2024 during the Biden Administration — also warned about growing Russian and Chinese military cooperation in the Arctic.

Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social:

NATO: Tell Denmark to get them out of here, NOW! Two dogsleds won’t do it! Only the USA can!!!

The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security. It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building. NATO should be leading the way for us to get it. IF WE DON’T, RUSSIA OR CHINA WILL, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

Militarily, without the vast power of the United States, much of which I built during my first term, and am now bringing to a new and even higher level, NATO would not be an effective force or deterrent – Not even close! They know that, and so do I. NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES.

Anything less than that is unacceptable. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT

The Danish intelligence report stated:

“For Russia, the waters between Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and the United Kingdom – the so-called GIUK Gap – form the main maritime gateway to and from the Arctic. Thus, the GIUK Gap is vital for Russia in the event of an armed conflict with NATO. In such a conflict, Russia would seek to disrupt the supply lines between the United States and Europe by deploying attack submarines capable of transiting the GIUK Gap undetected. At the same time, Russia would seek to monitor and track any NATO submarine movements within the gap.”

The report made it clear that Russia was deploying assets by air and sea close to Greenland’s coast, noting that “despite the considerable geographical distance, Russia periodically deploys submarines, surface vessels, and aircraft near both Greenland and the Faroe Islands, as well as throughout the waters between them” and that Moscow also uses civilian vessels sailing near Greenland “to carry out tasks such as surveillance on behalf of the Russian state.”

The intelligence assessment also stated that “China Seeks the Capability to Operate Submarines in the Arctic” in part because “the Arctic provides an ideal location for launching nuclear missiles against targets across the northern hemisphere, as short flight times make them harder to defend against” and because “the region also offers the advantage that submarines can easily hide beneath the Arctic ice cap.”

The report said that operating such subs under the Arctic ice cap was a capacity desired by both the U.S. and Russia, and that “China is determined to acquire this capability too,” which explains China’s “growing interest” in developing this capacity in the Arctic.

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  Denmark’s own intelligence warned in December of ‘Dragon-Bear’ threat to Greenland, WorldTribune.com