NATO leader tells Trump it plans to stay out of his plans to acquire Greenland

President Donald Trump said Thursday that NATO could be instrumental in helping the U.S. gain control of Greenland, the Danish territory that Trump says is key to international security.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he doesn't want the transnational military alliance involved in the U.S. acquisition of Greenland, but said the high arctic territory is of vital importance to world security.

"It's very important to make sure that region – that part of the world – stays safe," Rutte said. "We know things are changing there, we have to be there."

Rutte noted the lack of icebreakers to keep ship passages around Greenland open. Trump said the U.S. is in the process of ordering 48 icebreaking ships. He said Canada had asked to use the ships.

"Canada wants to know if they can use them, I said, well, you got to pay for them," Trump said. " ... Canada pays very little for their military because they think we're going to protect them."

Canada spent about $27 billion on defense in 2024-2025, according to the Parliamentary Budget Office. The U.S., with a population about nine times the size of Canada, spent about $850 billion during the same time period.

Trump said if Canada joins the U.S., it could be part of the icebreaker deal, but will have to pay if it remains a separate nation. The U.S. has one remaining heavy-duty icebreaker and plans to replace it are behind schedule.

Trump was asked by reporters during his meeting with Rutte how the U.S. plans to acquire Greenland. Trump didn't respond directly to the question about methods but said it is something he wants.

"We're going to have to make a deal on that," Trump said. "Denmark is not able to do that. Denmark is very far away and really has nothing to do – what happened, a boat landed there 200 years ago or something and they say they have rights to it, I don't know if that's true, I don't think it is actually. But we've been dealing with Denmark, we've been dealing with Greenland and we have to do it. We really need it for national security. I think that's why NATO might have to get involved."

Greenland, where about 57,000 people live, is a fully autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland's economy is dependent on Danish subsidies and fishing.

Experts say as ice melts in the Arctic, more shipping and military ship routes could open in the region, changing the global trade and the defensive relationship between the U.S. and Russia. More mining and drilling exploration could also open up.

In 1867, when President Andrew Johnson bought Alaska, he also considered buying Greenland. The U.S. also tried to buy Greenland in 1946. The United States proposed to pay Denmark $100 million in gold to buy Greenland, according to documents in the National Archives. The sale never went through, but the U.S. got the military base it wanted on the island.

Pituffik Space Base, previously known as Thule Air Base, is located in Greenland. Pituffik SB is locked in by ice nine months out of the year, but the airfield is open and operated year round. Pituffik exists due to agreements between the U.S. and the Kingdom of Denmark, specifically addressing mutual defense, according to the Space Force.