Trump orders commanders to draw up Greenland invasion plan: Report

• British Daily Mail said Trump ordered planning for a Greenland invasion, citing unnamed sources.
• Senior US military leaders are said to have opposed the idea, warning of legal risks and a potential NATO crisis.

US President Donald Trump ordered senior special operations commanders to prepare a plan to invade Greenland, according to a report by Britain’s Daily Mail that cites unnamed sources familiar with internal discussions.

The newspaper said Trump asked the Joint Special Operations Command to outline an invasion scenario. It reported that the idea met strong resistance from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who warned of legal barriers, political fallout, and the risk of triggering a major crisis within NATO.

Military pushback

According to the Daily Mail, senior officers sought to steer Trump toward what they viewed as less provocative options, including intercepting Russia’s so-called shadow fleet used to evade Western sanctions or considering military action against Iran.

A diplomatic source quoted by the paper said generals viewed a Greenland plan as “illegal” and unlikely to secure congressional backing. The source said military leaders tried to avoid its consequences by proposing alternative operations.

Political calculations

The report said advisers close to Trump, including political aide Stephen Miller, encouraged him to press ahead after what they described as a successful operation against Venezuela’s leadership.

The Daily Mail claimed the United States carried out a weekend strike in Caracas that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and their transfer to New York to face charges. There has been no confirmation of such an operation from US or Venezuelan authorities, and Maduro has appeared publicly since the period cited, raising serious questions about the claim.

British diplomats quoted by the Daily Mail said Trump may also be motivated by a desire to divert voter attention from economic concerns ahead of the US midterm elections, where Republicans risk losing control of Congress.

European response

Separately, The Telegraph reported that Britain is holding talks with European allies on the possible deployment of a military force to Greenland to protect the Arctic region.

The paper said British officials met counterparts from countries including Germany and France to discuss preliminary plans that could involve troops, warships, and aircraft. The aim would be to deter what London describes as growing Russian and Chinese military activity in the Arctic.

European officials reportedly hope a stronger European presence could persuade Trump to abandon ambitions to annex Greenland. A British government source told the paper that London shares Washington’s concerns about increased Russian activity in the north but disagrees on how to address it.

NATO fears

Diplomatic cables cited by the Daily Mail described discussions among European officials about an “escalatory scenario” in which Trump might use force or political pressure to sever Greenland’s ties with Denmark. The worst-case outcome was described as potentially “destroying NATO from within”.

The cables also outlined a compromise scenario in which Denmark would grant the United States full military access to Greenland, block Russian or Chinese influence, and place the existing US presence on a clearer legal footing.

A diplomatic source quoted by the paper said some US military leaders privately described the Greenland idea as “crazy and illegal”, adding that they tried to deflect Trump by offering other options.