European NATO member states have significantly restricted intelligence sharing with the United States amid a sharp escalation of tensions over Greenland, according to newspaper The i Paper, citing sources in US and European intelligence services.
According to the publication, representatives of European alliance countries have virtually ceased ‘open communication’ with their American counterparts, fearing that sensitive data could be passed on to President Donald Trump and used to implement his plans to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark and a NATO member.
Sources in the intelligence community note that security relations between the US and the UK have reached their lowest level since the 1950s. European partners fear that any information shared could be used to forcibly seize the strategically important Arctic island.
‘President Trump’s ambitions undermine trust and destroy agreements that have been built up over decades. This creates tension and deep mistrust between European and American colleagues in NATO,’ The i Paper quotes one European source as saying.
Officially, NATO headquarters and the White House have not yet commented on the situation. However, against the backdrop of Trump’s continuing threats to impose 10% (and later 25%) tariffs on goods from eight NATO countries opposed to the transfer of Greenland to the US, tensions within the alliance continue to grow.
Denmark, with the support of other European NATO members, has already strengthened its military presence on the island and conducted joint exercises. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen previously stated that any attempt by the United States to seize Greenland by force would effectively end NATO as an alliance.
The situation remains extremely tense: experts fear that further escalation could lead to the most serious crisis in transatlantic relations in the last 75 years.