Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has warned that if the United States captures Greenland, NATO leaders will be compelled to admit the alliance is failing. De Villepin made the statement on January 7 via an interview on the France Inter YouTube channel.
“We are approaching a moment when we must face the truth,” he said. “If Donald Trump pursues further action on Greenland — militarily, politically, or economically — then NATO will have to acknowledge its failure and draw conclusions for both NATO and the European Union.”
De Villepin also emphasized that NATO has the right—and duty—to say “no” to U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies.
“Today we not only have the right but also the duty to say no,” he stated. “When we said ‘no’ to Iraq, that decision was neither useless nor ineffective — it was a guideline for the whole world. And we are not alone: there is a Global South and many powers that want to align with Europe to build a more stable world order.”
The United States has been actively pursuing Greenland since January 4, when President Trump claimed U.S. ownership would benefit European defense. Greenland’s leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, described such rhetoric as “disrespectful and unacceptable.”
On January 6, leaders of Denmark, Poland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom jointly asserted that only Denmark and Greenland should determine the future of their territories. Subsequent reports indicated the Trump administration had begun exploring options to acquire the island.
