Trump Renews Bid for US Control of Greenland, Threatens Pulling All Troops From Europe

President Donald Trump renewed his bid for the US to acquire Greenland as he arrived for the NATO summit in Ankara, threatening to pull all American armed forces out of Europe if allies repeatedly pushed back.

“While again expressing a 'deep disappointment' with NATO, threatening to withdraw all of his country's forces from Europe, U”

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Trump told reporters, "Denmark doesn’t spend money to really help Greenland, but it’s an important part for the US," and said Greenland "should be controlled by the US, not by Denmark."

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The remarks came as Trump also said his commitment to defending Europe had been tempered by political decisions by leaders on immigration and energy, and he warned, "If they’re not careful with those two things, you’re not going to have a Europe any more."

Stars and Stripes reported Trump threatened to remove all U.S. troops from Europe if Denmark refuses to relinquish Greenland, injecting fresh uncertainty into the NATO-U.S. relationship as leaders gathered in Turkey.

The dispute over Greenland unfolded alongside Trump’s complaints that some allies refused base access to attack Iran and balked at helping reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with Trump saying "we weren’t treated well" after those decisions.

As Trump arrived in Ankara, the New York Post described an elaborate Turkey welcome in which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan greeted him on the tarmac and offered his motorcade a horseback escort through the Turkish capital.

Trump used the reception to blast NATO leaders, saying, "I was very disappointed with NATO," and adding that if the summit weren’t held in Turkey, "it’s possible that I wouldn’t have attended."

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In response to Trump’s Greenland stance, the Guardian reported UK chancellor Rachel Reeves told reporters: "The future of Greenland is up to the people of Greenland and of Denmark, and not to the US president."

CBS News said Trump began the NATO summit alongside Erdoğan with a clear message that Turkey is a better friend to the United States than many traditional Western allies, and Trump said the U.S. will "consider" allowing Turkey to purchase the United States' F-35 jets again.

CBS News also reported Erdoğan said the U.S. president promised five F-35 fighter jets, with Erdoğan saying, "we have secured the five jets and Mr. Trump also promised us."

The summit’s opening remarks and bilateral focus on Turkey came as NATO leaders tried to show they were serious about defense, with the Financial Times framing Trump’s threats to remove troops from Europe as a central uncertainty for the alliance.

“NATO Highlights Significant Arms Deals as Trump Feels Disappointed; information provided by Reuters on July 7, 2026 at 6:37 p”

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Stars and Stripes said Trump’s comments injected fresh uncertainty into the future of the roughly 80,000 U.S. troops stationed across Europe, whose presence has underpinned NATO’s deterrence posture for decades.

The Guardian reported Trump expected to rebuke countries, including the UK, for not making enough progress on hitting the target of spending 3.5% of GDP by 2035, and it said the UK would lead a £37bn European project to develop a long-range missile.

In parallel, the Guardian reported NATO’s mutual defense clause has only ever been triggered after the September 11 attacks on New York, where allies joined US troops in Afghanistan, and it described a missile capability that could strike targets between 200 miles and 1,200 miles away with pinpoint accuracy.

In Istanbul, BNN Bloomberg described protesters marching against the NATO summit being held in Ankara, chanting, "Murderer, USA, get out of our country," while Ali Gültekin said they regarded NATO as "a massacre machine established to preserve global hegemony."