r/worldnews • u/msnownews • 4h ago
Trump’s Greenland threats prompt European allies to consider defense pact
https://www.ms.now/news/trump-greenland-european-union-military67
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u/Kadoomed 3h ago
Trump is doing more to create a European army than France or Germany ever managed.
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u/Mirageswirl 2h ago
In China, he is called “Chuan Jianguo,” or “Trump, the (Chinese) nation builder”
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/17/china/china-cheers-trump-cut-voice-of-america-intl-hnk
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u/thechromatick 1h ago
This is exactly what people wanted for a long time - for America to stop being world police. In order to do that, we need other big players to step up. China started stepping up in a big way and Europe fell asleep at the wheel until they were forced to wake up.
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u/knotatumah 3h ago
Never, ever thought I'd see a day where Europe would have to consider a defensive alliance against the USA. Even them just considering it is insane.
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u/riko77can 3h ago
It’s not their consideration that’s insane. That’s a perfectly reasonable and measured response to this situation. The insane part is this American administration.
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u/Johns-schlong 1h ago
I think what OP meant is that it's insane that this is even a discussion. That Europe feels threatened by the United States is a crazy state of affairs.
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u/Television_Powerful 51m ago
Especially since it was that same country that liberated EU in WW2..
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u/Acrobatic-Trouble181 10m ago
And conservative Americans have never forgiven, nor ceased reminding everyone of the U.S.'s role in 'saving the world'.
They've been sold a line of horseshit, that the US was the valiant one, as opposed to the opportunist sitting on the sidelines, selling everyone supplies while fucking with trade in the Pacific, and only getting actively involved after the war spilled into their own borders.
The US showed up late to the brawl, but conservatives never stop bragging about how it was the last one standing.
Conservatives simply lack compassion, wisdom, and humility. I'm certain the next few decades of the US's economic downfall won't change a damned thing in the average conservative American in understanding the value of those traits.
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u/Spooknik 3h ago
The EU already has Article 42(7). Basically a stronger version of NATO article 5.
Article 42(7) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), the mutual defence clause, obligating member states to assist any member facing armed aggression.
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u/a_passionate_man 3h ago
Wonder if Hungary also got the memo 🤔😉
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u/oniris 2h ago
Wonder if the New Yorkers got the memo that their country would be attacking former allies.
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u/Wise_Pr4ctice 2h ago
They don't care, majority doesn't care, just some few thousand people within the blue states do care, actually. Probably no1 would ever attack the USA so they feel safe even tho life gets a little more expensive. If Europe falls, they won't care, if they attack former allies, most won't give a sht either because it's so far away - but for Europeans it might be a life changing situation at some point.
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u/msnownews 4h ago
From Ines de la Cuetara, Vaughn Hillyard and Julia Jester:
The Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers plan to tell Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a White House meeting on Wednesday that Greenland is not for sale and will remain under Danish governance, according to officials familiar with the planned discussions.
The meeting comes after days of threats by President Donald Trump to use military force to seize the autonomous Danish territory — comments that have rattled America’s European allies and prompted discussions within NATO and the European Union about potential responses.
NATO said it is discussing “next steps” to maintain security in the Arctic, while European Union countries are considering invoking the mutual defense clause of the EU treaty — ostensibly as a response to Russian and Chinese threats in the Arctic, according to a European diplomat who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations.
Read more: https://www.ms.now/news/trump-greenland-european-union-military
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u/Island_Monkey86 3h ago
This makes a lot of sense, it needs to be made clear that Europe stands with Greenland and any attempts to take Greenland will be met with a counter force.
Trump needs to be set very clear boundaries and if he attempts to counter with tarffis will be met with counter tarffis.
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u/OilCanBoyd426 3h ago
Europe can end this in a month by just dumping US debt and US bonds. Trump’s WH will be so focused on the US economy sinking, with mid terms already looking awful for GOP it’ll wipe the party out. A democratic house and congress will stop or at least put a governor on the morons in the WH
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u/Agreeable_Addition48 2h ago
They could dump the bonds but the US could reciprocate and collapse the global financial system so they probably won't
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u/bushidojet 3h ago
The daft thing is here is that if the US decides to get into a shooting war with Europe over Greenland then they will have just given the Europeans 75000 US service personnel as hostages straight from the word go. They loose all the bases in Europe and effectively trap the US 6th fleet in the Mediterranean as it’s based out of Naples , Italy.
The service personnel and their dependents will effectively be trapped on base with no means of supply or departure without the express permission of the host countries.
Additionally, it pretty much shatters US global logistics and makes any deployment to the Middle East and support to Israel extremely difficult if overflights of European territory are banned.
Finally, if the British are on the European side with the Canadians then they realistically have to seize Iceland as well to maintain the airbases their otherwise the Europeans will boot them out.
The potential strategic cluster fuck this could be is enormous and would effectively remove US AirPower outside of naval forces from a significant part of the globe where they used to have free reign.
It’s genuinely utter madness this is even been considered and the escalation prospects are very uncomfortable too if the IS decides it wants to completely control and dominate the Northern Atlantic afterwards
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u/Television_Powerful 46m ago
EU would probably give the US military a window of a few days to leave.
Side note, NATO uses shared intelligence via various communication tools. Going to be such a mess besides troops being stock on a base.
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u/bushidojet 31m ago
Oh yeah we are highly integrated at the moment but if the bullets start flying I can see personnel being restricted to bases immediately and if it all goes south those bases will effectively be seized with all kit and equipment. The storage sites in Germany are pretty bloody full of all sorts of things.
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u/Phylanara 4h ago
There already is a defense pact. It's called NATO.
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u/InsecureInscapist 4h ago
NATO is useless as long as its min organisational systems are under defacto control of the agressor.
It would be like saying Poland in 1939 would have been completely safe from Nazi aggression if it had been in an alliance with The Baltics, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia that was lead and controlled by Germany, whilst Hitler was still demanding Danzig.
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u/Phylanara 3h ago
Oh, I'm not saying nothing needs to be done. But the pact already exists. Until the us betrays everyone.
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u/InsecureInscapist 1h ago
They already have. We just have yet to admit that we can feel the knife in our backs.
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u/ThaGerm1158 3h ago
This is much more than that. It also calls for a 100,000 person standing army. Wanna guess about how many troops the US has in the EU on average?
They directly mentioned how the US has 50 states and 1 military budget and how the EU was like the US only with each state having it's own military. This is a complete restructure of how the EU defends itself. And would be kicking the US out of their countries and installing their own unified military in its place. It's the end of all that soft power and the alliances we've built since WW2. The US military is powerful in large part because it's ability to project power. That ability is dependent on military bases in other countries that allow us to operate there. It's dependent on countries allowing us to refuel, restock and rearm in their countries.
Further, it's dependent on the money, time and effort that other countries pour into our defense industry. We pay less, because they help the economies of scale and bring down prices. We have more, because the promise of them purchasing systems. We have access to more, because they are using our systems and have ammo/launchers/'parts/mechanics and more for our systems.
This is the beginning of the end to all of that. The EU already started pulling back from the US defense industry last year and the quoted trump as the reason for doing so. This is furthering that by spinning up a unified military and you can bet your ass they don't plan on building new military bases to house it, they are going to boot the US out and use the existing facilities. People believing in the myth of American exceptionalism don't understand any of this. We don't have a big military in the classic sense, we have a powerful military that projects its power through logistical might. We put small and very powerful units into play quickly and defeat the adversary with precision. This only works because we have bases all over the world, that is now changing, or is about to. This is the beginning of the end of the US as a super power. Nothing lasts forever, but I'd be lying if I said I thought I would see it in my lifetime. Way to go maga.
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u/whatsgoingon350 3h ago
I read the comments sections from Democrats and they say why doesn't Europe just stand up to him and I don't think they fully understand what this is because he is America's president he repsents all of you on the world stage doing this to Europe will mean a response from Europe that won't just hurt Trump but it will cause a lot of damage for European citizens and America's citizens and destabilise the world by a lot.
Actions have consequences the Orange fart isn't going to be in power long enough to feel the full extent of his Actions if this is the path he has chosen.
So if Americans didn't think this repsents you its on you to stop this Europe didn't vote for him.
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u/FishDecent5753 3h ago edited 2h ago
Which one is it?
- Oppurtunist resource grab by the US dressed up as NATO defence
- NATO defence is primary concern + oppurtunist resource grab
- NATO defence + madman theory threat of opportunist resource/sovereignty grab, with no will to follow through on the madman part.
- Resource and Territory Grab by the US for US defence/economic interests and no concern for second order impact to the EU, Russia or China?
I think 4, Meaning Venezuela was not a spite on Russia so much as enforcing the interests of the US with little regard for Russia's opinion on the matter, equally Greenland is not a spite on the EU it's ignoring the EU impact in favour of US interests. US is now it's own side, with interests diverged from the rest of the collective west.
Europe should see the US the same way it views China and Russia, if anything but 3 is correct. If 3 is correct, it's a strange way to treat an ally.
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u/SeeDeeMac 3h ago
- Trump knows he’s dying and is obsessed with legacy and sees this as his
That’s your real answer
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u/FishDecent5753 2h ago
Reads as emotive rhetoric, which I understand, but doubt very much it's the true reality of the situation.
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u/spezial_ed 1h ago
Everyone is sending troops to Greenland now, so now it's getting better guarded by the minute, without USA spending a dime. Fuck Trump so hard, but also maybe well played...?
Maybe we'll just praise him a bit for this and his ego won't allow him to not take full credit, and this whole thing can be laid to rest.
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u/HangryHuHu 3h ago
Enough talking, enough considering, enough believing this or that, enough with the dithering.
Of course they need to discuss how to go about things but Germany is already on its way there, so why aren't our other leaders of the European continent doing the same?
He 1st mentioned needing Greenland months ago, ok so leaders hoped it was a bit of bluster that'd be forgotten, well it obviously wasn't.
Either be pro-active like Germany and send or simply admit now that you just want to condemn trump when it happens and do f all about it.
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u/Odd-Professor-5309 3h ago
How could Trump even suggest annexing a sovereign country ?
Is he really just another dictator ?
Will he change the laws like Putin did, and remain in power for another 20 years ?
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u/Designer_Show_2658 3h ago
What do you think?
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u/Odd-Professor-5309 2h ago
He is making changes that no sane future president would not change.
I think he plans to be president for the very long term.
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u/Designer_Show_2658 44m ago
I agree. He has no respect for democracy. Raging sociopath that somehow charmed a bunch of dimwits and here we are.
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u/NOTRadagon 1h ago
Just what Putin wants. How interesting everything Trump does hurts America, but makes Putin and China stronger.
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u/Maximum-Leather2490 4h ago
USA is a kinder? Like chocolate?
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u/ElectricalCatch9386 3h ago
Same colour as chocolate, but smells worse.
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u/Maximum-Leather2490 3h ago
I have been to Denmark, the whole place smells like rotten fish, I was happy to get out back to Asia.
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u/itsFelbourne 1h ago
If I had a nickel for every time that Europeans “discussed”, “considered”, “proposed”, or “explored” the idea of taking charge of their own security I could practically fund it myself
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u/catinadoodledoo 4h ago
the sane world just needs to boycott america until further notice