NATO On The Brink Europe: Weaponising US Bases Over Greenland

Nato ‘On The Brink’ As Europe Weighs Weaponising US Bases Over Greenland

Nato is sliding toward its most dangerous internal crisis since the Cold War as European leaders quietly weigh retaliatory measures against the United States following President Donald Trump’s threat to seize Greenland — and punish allies who resist.

The showdown escalated after Trump warned he would slap sweeping tariffs on eight Nato countries, including Britain, Denmark and Germany, unless they accept what he called the “complete and total purchase” of Greenland. The move has triggered alarm across Europe, with senior officials warning the alliance itself could fracture under the strain.

Sir Keir Starmer has already confronted Trump directly, branding the tariff threat “wrong” and warning it risks a catastrophic collapse in transatlantic relations. One senior UK government source put it bluntly: “We are heading towards a disaster. I have never seen anything like this.”

Behind the scenes, European capitals are now examining how far they can push back — including exploiting what analysts describe as America’s “asymmetric dependence” on Europe.

In Berlin, officials reacted with visible shock to reports that Germany could restrict or financially penalise US access to major military hubs such as Ramstein and Stuttgart — bases critical to Washington’s ability to project power into Africa and the Middle East. While outright expulsions were played down, German sources confirmed that sharply increased rent charges remain an option. A YouGov poll shows 47 per cent of Germans would support the withdrawal of US troops.

Germany’s defence minister Boris Pistorius warned this week that any US attempt to annex Greenland would place Nato’s very existence at risk. Writing in Die Zeit, he said: “Going it alone endangers Nato’s continued existence as a North Atlantic defence alliance.”

Other leaders echoed the warning. Sweden’s prime minister Ulf Kristersson said Europe would not allow itself to be “blackmailed,” while Italy’s Giorgia Meloni — the only European leader invited to Trump’s inauguration — called the move a “mistake.” Finland’s president Alexander Stubb warned of a “harmful spiral” that could permanently damage the transatlantic axis.

Trade retaliation is now emerging as the most likely first strike. A majority of MEPs are preparing to stall ratification of last summer’s trade deal with Washington, under which Europe accepted 15 per cent US tariffs without imposing any of its own. French President Emmanuel Macron has openly urged deployment of the EU’s £81 billion anti-coercion “trade bazooka.”

Europe’s toolkit goes far beyond tariffs. Brussels could impose export taxes on specialised machinery the US struggles to replace, tighten regulatory barriers against American firms, or ramp up enforcement of tech laws that already allow fines of up to 10 per cent of global turnover. Elon Musk’s X has already been hit with a €120 million penalty under EU rules.

More extreme options — targeting US energy exports, defence procurement or even data transfers — remain on the table, though officials concede such moves would inflict serious pain on Europe itself.

“There is no pain-free retaliation,” one EU diplomat admitted. “But inaction has a price too.”

As one former British diplomat warned, any Nato standoff over Greenland would be existential. “If allies start coercing each other,” he said, “that’s the end of Nato. There’s no way back.”

SOURCES: DAILY MAIL EXPRESS