A former head of Britain’s MI6 intelligence agency has argued that it would be good for “European security” if U.S. President Trump succeeds in taking control of Greenland.
Amid increasing speculation over the fate of the island, with suggestions that the U.S. would be willing to either provide financial compensation to the 57,000 Greenlanders or potentially use military force to annex the strategically important Danish territory, European leaders have reacted with shock and indignation.
However, former British Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service Sir Richard Dearlove has argued that it would be in Europe’s interests to cede control of Greenland to the United States, as only America has the military prowess necessary for long-term deployments in the Arctic territory or the might required to deter hostile actors such as Communist China or Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
Speaking to TalkTV, Sir Richard said: “There is a strong argument for reinforcing Europe’s security by putting a much greater representation of American forces, which are the only ones that can effectively cope up in Greenland.
“Now, I would have thought that it’s possible for Denmark and the United States to make some agreement. Why the hell don’t the Danes lease them Greenland for a hundred years?
“I think it’s really important that we look at this, not in terms of, ‘Gosh, isn’t Trump doing dreadful stuff?’ It’s about European security and the safety of the area in which we live.”
Ownership of Greenland, which has been under the control of the Kingdom of Denmark to varying degrees for centuries, has long been a goal of U.S. administrations, with attempts to acquire the island dating back to the 1860s.
The issue has become more pressing in recent years, however, with relations with Moscow deteriorating after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and similarly with Beijing amid the ongoing trade dispute.
Several strategic elements have been cited as motivations for the White House’s keen interest in the island, including securing its large mineral deposits, protecting against intercontinental missiles, access to the Arctic, and protecting the
GIUK gap, a naval choke point between Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom, the control of which would be critical in fending off any attempts by the Russian navy to attack the mainland United States or indeed much of Western Europe.
Dearlove said that American control of the island would “make the Northern approach a hell of a lot safer for all Europeans, and it keeps the Chinese out too, which is also massively important.”
The dispute between the U.S. and its NATO allies appears to suggest scepticism in Washington about Europe’s ability to protect itself and American interests after decades of neglecting military spending in favour of generous welfare and healthcare systems. During an attempt to reassure President Trump about NATO’s ability to “defend Euro-Atlantic interests” in Greenland, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer admitted this week that “more could be done to protect the area”.