President Donald Trump greets Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer during summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. Donald Trump has sent Keir Starmer a clear message about the limits of the UK’s influence over the US after doubling down on his Greenland threat. The US president has insisted America “ needs ” the Danish territory for defence in recent days, even though seizing it would involve aggressive action against a fellow Nato state. That would be a major breach of the defence alliance’s article 5, which states an attack on one member state is an attack on all. Fears that Trump might act on his claims have come into sharp focus after the US launched military action against Venezuela over the weekend and deposed its president Nicolas Maduro. While European allies – including the UK, which is meant to have a “special relationship” with the States –  signed a statement warning Trump to stay away from Greenland on Tuesday, the White House appear to have ignored their comments completely. Last night, Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president “has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region.” She added: “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilising the US Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal.” Just hours before, the leaders of Denmark, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland announced a shared belief that “security in the Arctic must be...achieved collectively, in conjunction with Nato allies including the United States by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders”. Evidently, these words had no impact on the Trump administration – despite Starmer’s efforts, in particular, to bend over backwards for the president. The prime minister has even refused to condemn the US over its action in Venezuela, despite being a former director of public prosecutions, and ardent defender of international law. But the US gave a reluctant nod to its western allies over a different foreign policy issue on Tuesday, as European leaders did manage to secure some wins from the White House during a Coalition of the Willing meeting. US officials do not usually attend these summits but, after productive talks, two senior Trump aides confirmed the US would offer Ukraine some security guarantees in the event of a peace deal with Russia. Britain and France also pledged to deploy troops to “military hubs” on Ukrainian soil if an agreement was ever reached, and build protected facilities for weapons and military equipment if Russia ever comes close to invading again. The Coalition of the Willing also promised to secure Ukraine’s soil, seas and skies. Trump’s son-in-law and negotiator Jared Kushner welcomed the “big, big milestone” agreement from allies, while special envoy Steve Witkoff then said Trump would give security protocols to “deter” an attack on Ukraine. It remains to be seen whether Ukraine will still be able to count on these promises if the time comes, considering Trump has U-turned over his support for Kyiv on countless occasions since returning to office. And, securing one part of Europe evidently does not suggest Trump cares about securing all of it. Related... María Corina Machado Would ‘Love’ To Give Trump Her Nobel Even After He Dissed Her BBC Expert Unpacks Why Trump Believes The World Is In 'A New Imperial Era' Starmer Says He Stands With Denmark After Trump Renews Threats To Seize Greenland