A transatlantic storm is brewing, with Spain’s Pedro Sanchez at its eye, blasting potential US aggression on Greenland as a self-inflicted wound to NATO that Putin would exploit ruthlessly. Detailed in his La Vanguardia sit-down out Sunday, Sanchez argued this would mirror Russia’s vilified Ukraine grab, eroding Western credibility and alliance solidarity in precarious times.
He foresaw Putin as ‘the world’s happiest man,’ thrilled by NATO’s exposed divisions, which could smooth Moscow’s Ukraine conquest. Sanchez decried it as precedent-setting force that invites chaos in international relations.
Enter Trump’s Truth Social salvo: tariffs on eight EU backers of Denmark, after decades of US largesse unmet by tariffs. With China and Russia salivating over Greenland, he quipped Denmark’s arsenal boils down to ‘two dogsleds’—satirizing its Arctic outpost defenses.
Starmer’s X retort from Britain was firm: Greenland is Danish realm business; Arctic defense demands NATO teamwork against Russia. Tariffs betray allies—he’ll address it with US officials pronto.
The EU’s knee-jerk reaction? An all-hands ambassadors’ powwow Sunday, greenlit by Cyprus’s presidency Saturday night. This convocation amid 27 nations’ reps betrays profound unease. Experts contextualize Greenland’s allure: thawing permafrost reveals resources pivotal for tech and defense, thrusting it into superpower crosshairs. Sanchez’s bold voice amplifies a European chorus demanding restraint, lest impulsive actions ignite a new Cold War flashpoint.