Danish forces will ‘shoot first and ask questions later’ if Greenland is invaded amid US threats

Danish troops will immediately respond to any invasion of Greenland with force, the country’s defence ministry warned as the US continues to weigh up military intervention to annex the territory.

The ministry told Danish outlet Berlingske that soldiers would be required to counter any foreign invasion without awaiting orders under the military’s rules of engagement.

It said a Cold War-era rule requiring troops to “immediately take up the fight” if attacked remains in force as European leaders contend with how to respond to Donald Trump’s repeated threats to seize the island.

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The 1952 rule states that in the event of an invasion, forces should respond “without waiting for or seeking orders, even if the commanders in question are not aware of the declaration of war or state of war”.

Denmark’s European allies have rallied behind the country and said they are working on a unified response after the White House said that Trump is still considering the possibility of taking Greenland by force.

French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said he would discuss the territory with his German and Polish counterparts, adding that France was working with its European allies to coordinate a response.

He told France Inter radio: “We want to take action, but we want to do so together with our European partners.”

He also said that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had “discarded” the idea that Greenland could see an intervention akin to the US assault on Venezuela to oust president Nicolas Maduro on Saturday.

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Johannes Koskinen, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Finland’s parliament, called for the issue to be raised at Nato, with the decision-making North Atlantic Council set to meet on Thursday. Greenland is not an independent member of Nato but is covered by Denmark’s membership.

Rubio said on Wednesday that he plans to meet Danish officials to discuss the situation as soon as next week, at the request of the foreign ministers of Greenland and Denmark.

Bloomberg reported that US officials are also rushing to assemble business deals and other ways to deepen engagement with Greenland, citing people familiar with the discussions.

Both Greenland and Denmark have repeatedly stressed that the island is not for sale.

Justifying the US position on the territory, vice-president JD Vance told Fox News yesterday that Denmark has not done enough to ensure that Greenland can “function as an anchor for world security”.

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“Europe has failed to contend with the fundamental argument the president, and the entire administration, has made,” he said. “Greenland is critical, not just to our national security, but to the world’s national security,” he added, outlining the territory’s role in missile defence.

Buying or seizing Greenland from Denmark still remains deeply unpopular within the United States.

A YouGov poll found very few US adults backed the idea of military force. Just eight per cent of 2,223 polled on Wednesday said they would support an intervention, with 73 per cent against and 19 per cent unsure.

Support for purchasing Greenland was not much higher at 28 per cent, with 45 per cent opposed and 27 per cent not sure.

The White House said that Trump would prefer diplomacy but will not rule out military action.