NATO would end if the United States takes Greenland by force, and European Union member states would be forced to come to the aid of Denmark if it faces military aggression. This was warned by European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrews Kubilius, quoted by "Reuters".
Trump said that the United States must own Greenland - an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark - to prevent the occupation of the strategically located and mineral-rich Arctic territory by Russia or China. He claims that the US military presence there is not enough.
Both Greenland and Denmark have already stressed that the island is not for sale, but Trump did not rule out the possibility of taking it by force.
"I agree with the Danish prime minister that this would be the end of NATO, but among the people it would also be very, very negative", Kubilius noted at a security conference in Sweden.
Kubilius also pointed out that Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union obliges member states to come to the aid of Denmark if it faces military aggression.
"It will depend a lot on Denmark how they react, what their position will be, but there is definitely an obligation for member states to provide mutual assistance if another member state is facing military aggression," he explained.