ANKARA, Turkey (AP) 鈥� Denmark鈥檚 Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Wednesday rejected President Donald Trump’s renewed demands that the U.S. should take control of Greenland from NATO ally Denmark, saying that 鈥淕reenland is of course not for sale.鈥�
鈥淲e hope that all, including all allies, will respect the Greenland people’s right for self-determination,鈥� Frederiksen said ahead of a meeting of the leaders of NATO member countries in Turkey. 鈥淲e are sovereign states and we need everybody to respect our territorial integrity and our sovereignty.鈥�
Trump reopened old wounds over Greenland on the eve of the meeting by insisting that the United States should control . NATO is founded on the principle that its 32 members will defend each others鈥� territory, not threaten to seize it.
Frederiksen said Denmark is 鈥渞eady to defend every inch of NATO including our own territory鈥� in the event of an attack, and would rely on NATO allies to honor their commitment to defend each other.
Iceland鈥檚 Prime Minister, Kristr煤n Frostad贸ttir, said Greenland 鈥渂elongs to the people of Greenland,鈥� and called for unity among the NATO allies in the face of external dangers.
鈥淲e have threats coming from outside the alliance,鈥� Frostad贸ttir said. “Russia is their biggest threat when it comes to these NATO allies. We need to focus on us and how we stick together.鈥�
NATO chief backs latest US strikes on Iran
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said from Ankara on Wednesday that he believes the United States is fully committed to the military organization, and praised Trump for taking forceful action against Iran overnight.
鈥淚 think it was absolutely necessary because when you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating a ceasefire, we see what happened yesterday,鈥� Rutte said of the after Tehran struck three merchant ships .
鈥淚 think it is totally crucial that the U.S. forcefully react,鈥� Rutte said.
The U.S. strikes on Iran, as well as the revoking of a license allowing it to sell its oil on global markets, were retaliation, and underscored the fragility of an interim deal to end months of fighting between the two countries.
Trump launched the attacks shortly after leaving a dinner hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and so far has not spoken about the strikes.
It is rare for U.S. presidents to launch military action while outside the U.S., though in 2011 former President Barack Obama authorized strikes in Libya while on a trip to Brazil.
The meeting in Ankara of NATO鈥檚 32 member countries was meant to focus on progress made toward meeting .
Rutte said U.S. demands for all allies to spend the same in terms of gross domestic product 鈥渋s completely fair,鈥� and noted that Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Denmark and Greece are already investing more.
鈥淭he commitment is there, no doubt,鈥� Rutte said before chairing the but noted that the Trump administration expects 鈥渢he Europeans and Canadian will equalize their spending with the United States.鈥�
NATO leaders sought to show Trump they were boosting defense
NATO summits are designed to be a show of unity aimed at deterring any potential adversary 鈥� a resolve more important than ever as Russia continues to wage , and concerns mount that other European countries could be targeted.
In an attempt last month to mollify the U.S. leader, Rutte went to Washington to hail the 鈥淭rump Trillion鈥� 鈥� the $1.2 trillion that European allies and Canada have added to defense spending since Trump came to power in 2017.
Yet Trump has demanded 鈥渓oyalty鈥� and after some allies refused to grant open access to their bases for U.S. forces to attack Iran.
As leaders converged on Ankara, Rutte hosted a 鈥渂ig reveal鈥� event to showcase the many deals planned for the increased spending 鈥� much of it to be spent on U.S. companies, creating thousands of jobs for Americans.
NATO diplomats and officials had hoped that Trump would take the win, but judging by some of his remarks since arriving in Turkey, they are in for yet another dressing down.
NATO braces for Trump鈥檚 grievances
Trump has long argued that the U.S. carries more than its fair share of the defense burden for NATO. At last year’s summit, the allies had agreed to 鈥� 3.5% on their defense budgets and 1.5% on roads, bridges and ports so troops and equipment can move faster in times of conflict.
New figures released by NATO on Tuesday showed that Slovenia, Belgium, Spain and the Czech Republic could be in hot water with the Trump administration as they struggle to meet the alliance鈥檚 old target of investing 2% of their GDP.
The Trump administration wants to see a more lean and lethal 鈥淣ATO 3.0,鈥� with Europe taking responsibility for its own security, including Ukraine, with conventional weapons while America would continue to provide its nuclear umbrella.
However, the Pentagon has launched a in Europe, leaving allies to seek clarity on just how deeply Trump intends to cut U.S. force numbers.
The drawdowns could depend on how fast the European allies increase defense spending, and whether they are prepared to allow greater use of their bases.
Ukraine鈥檚 Zelenskyy pushes for NATO entry
President made a fresh appeal Tuesday for Ukraine to be allowed to join the alliance, saying Ukrainian armed forces are highly experienced and would only boost NATO鈥檚 defense capabilities.
Zelenskyy, who is expected to on Wednesday, highlighted Ukraine鈥檚 adaptability and its ability to strike deep inside Russia, hit Moscow鈥檚 oil refineries and other energy targets. He said Ukraine鈥檚 armed forces are 鈥渆liminating鈥� on average 30,000 Russian troops every month.
Concern has been mounting among some northern, central and eastern European countries that Russia might be preparing a hybrid attack 鈥� a combination of conventional warfare with tactics like cyberattacks 鈥� on the continent as struggles to .
Trump will also , a former insurgent who led the offensive that unseated autocrat Bashar Assad in December 2024. Despite having once been an al-Qaida fighter, al-Sharaa has won Trump鈥檚 backing as he seeks to rebuild Syria and restore its long-shattered ties with the West.
Trump has that al-Sharaa would do a better job of rooting out Hezbollah in Lebanon than the Israeli army, raising alarms in Lebanon and Israel alike. The Syrian leader has said he has no interest in doing so.
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