US-Greenland issue: Trump warns NATO withdrawal over acquisition bid; know implications

Amid tensions with Greenland, the US is looking to withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), as President Donald Trump pushed it to help acquire the nation. 

Trump has repeatedly asserted that Greenland is important to safeguard the US from Russia and China's presence in the Arctic Ocean, and has demanded that the Kingdom of Denmark sell the self-governed territory. However, Denmark and other NATO allies have refused to cede the territory to the US, with France, Germany and other European countries sending their troops to Greenland to help boost the security. 

Trump warns of NATO withdrawal

When asked if he'd pull out of NATO over Greenland, Trump said, "We're going to see." He emphasised the US needs Greenland for national security, citing the Golden Dome missile defence system, and claimed NATO is already discussing the issue with the US. “NATO has been dealing with us on Greenland; we need Greenland for national security very badly. If we don’t have it we have a very big hole in terms of national security, especially in terms of the Golden Dome,” Trump said. 

"We have a lot of investments in the military. We have the strongest military in the world, and it's only getting stronger. And you saw that with Venezuela. You saw that with the attack on Iran, with the knocking out of their nuclear capabilities," he added.

If the US pulls out of NATO, what could be implication?

If the US pulls out of NATO, which consists of 32 member countries across North America and Europe, the alliance could weaken as it operates on the principle of collective defence, meaning an attack on one member is considered an attack on all. It will possibly strengthen Russia and China's influence in the Arctic. The global power dynamics will see a major shift as Europeans will re-evaluate their security commitments to balance the power. Also, Greenland's autonomy and relationship with Denmark could be significantly impacted.