Former Nato chief attacks Trump’s ‘gangster’ talk on Greenland

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US President Donald Trump is using language on Greenland similar to that of the “gangsters” in Russia and China he should be trying to control, the former head of Nato has said.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who is also a former Danish prime minister, told the FT that Trump was using Greenland “as a weapon of mass distraction from the real threats” such as Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“For me, it’s been a painful process. Since childhood, I have considered the United States as the natural leader of the free world. I’ve even spoken about the US as the world’s policeman,” said Rasmussen, who sent Danish troops to fight with the US in Afghanistan.

“Now we see the United States use a language that’s pretty close to the gangsters that they should control in Moscow, Beijing, etc.”

Trump has shocked Europe with his aggressive rhetoric against Nato ally Denmark, insisting that he must take control of Greenland from Copenhagen and saying he could use military force to do so.

Denmark, Greenland and the US this week decided to set up a high-level working group to discuss whether a compromise is possible on the future of the vast Arctic island.

But there was an almost immediate dispute over its scope, with the White House saying the group would hold “technical talks on the acquisition of Greenland” while Denmark insisted its “red line” was that Greenland was not for sale.

Rasmussen, who was Denmark’s prime minister from 2001 to 2009 and then head of Nato for five years, said Trump was familiar with distraction tactics.

“I am actually concerned that the world’s attention is now focused on something that does not represent a threat, neither to Europe nor to the United States — namely Greenland, a friendly ally of the United States — instead of focusing on what should be the focal point right now: namely, how can we force Putin to the negotiation table in Ukraine?”

He added: “Divisions in the west play into Russian hands. I’m sure Moscow hopes Greenland becomes the iceberg that sinks Nato. So this goes beyond Denmark and Greenland . . . Conquering Greenland would be the end of the world order as we know it.”

The former Nato secretary-general suggested Denmark should present Trump with three concrete proposals.

A 1951 defence agreement that gives the US large sway over Greenland should be “updated and modernised” to give more details of where Washington and Nato “could and should” establish more military bases, he said.

The US currently has the sole military base in Greenland, with about 150 soldiers, but during the cold war it had 17 installations on the island and more than 10,000 troops.

Rasmussen added that Denmark should also put forward an investment agreement to attract more US money into critical minerals in Greenland as well as a stability and resilience compact “to prevent Russian and Chinese influence”.