The possibility of a military conflict is not high, but that possibility cannot be ruled out," Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said at a press conference in the capital Nuuk on January 20.
A special working group will soon be established, gathering representatives of key government agencies, to prepare for possible disruptions in daily life.
The Greenland government is also issuing a new set of guidelines for people, which recommends that each household reserve enough food and necessities for at least 5 days.
This warning was issued in the context of US President Donald Trump continuing to heat up the Greenland issue. Mr. Trump has repeatedly declared that Washington "needs to own Greenland for security reasons", and recently posted an image created by AI, simulating the scene of him flying the US flag on this Arctic island. Those provocative statements and actions have worried not only Greenland but also Europe.
Greenland currently has about 57,000 people, is part of the Kingdom of Denmark but has an autonomous government, managing most internal affairs, except for defense and foreign affairs. Faced with increasing pressure, Denmark has deployed more troops to Greenland in recent days to strengthen Arctic defense capabilities.
Greenland's Finance Minister, Mr. Mute B. Egede - former Prime Minister of the island - frankly admitted that Greenland is under "very great pressure". "We must prepare for all scenarios, including scenarios that have never been set before," he said at the same press conference.
Concerns are not only limited to the North Atlantic. The Canadian military has also conducted simulations of US invasion scenarios, after Mr. Trump publicly mentioned the possibility of Canada becoming the US's "51st state".
Although Canadian officials emphasized that this possibility is "very unlikely", considering that scenario shows the widespread level of insecurity in the Western ally bloc.
In an effort to strengthen security in Greenland, Denmark and 7 other NATO countries have deployed a group of soldiers to the island as part of the Arctic Endurance campaign.
Denmark's Joint Arctic Command is also considering expanding military exercises, which may even be maintained year-round.
Tensions are escalating on the economic front. President Trump announced that he would impose new tariffs from February 1 on 8 NATO allies deploying forces to Greenland. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that Europe would be forced to respond if these measures were implemented, and a transatlantic trade war could leave "serious consequences for both sides".
If a trade war is launched against us, which I cannot recommend, then of course we must respond. We will be forced to do so," she said in a question-and-answer session at the Danish Parliament.
I hope we will not go to that point. I hope we will succeed in persuading Americans that this is not the path we should take" - Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said.
