Report: Trump Ordered a Plan to Invade Greenland, Generals Refuse

SadaNews - The British Daily Mail revealed, citing informed sources, that U.S. President Donald Trump ordered leaders of the special operations forces to devise a plan to invade Greenland, a move that has met with strong opposition from senior U.S. military leaders.

According to the newspaper, Trump asked the Joint Special Operations Command to prepare the invasion plan, but the Joint Chiefs of Staff opposed the idea, warning of its legal and political repercussions, and the potential for it to lead to a severe crisis within NATO.

The sources reported that military leaders tried to divert Trump’s attention toward less controversial options, such as intercepting what is known as the "shadow fleet" of Russia that is used to evade Western sanctions, or carrying out a military strike against Iran.

A diplomatic source told the newspaper that the generals view the Greenland plan as "illegal" and unlikely to gain support in Congress, and they are trying to shield the United States from its consequences by proposing other military alternatives.

The Daily Mail added that close advisors to Trump, including political advisor Stephen Miller, encouraged the president to proceed after what they described as a successful operation to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, believing that swift action in Greenland is essential before any potential Russian or Chinese move.

Last weekend, the United States launched a military attack on targets in the Venezuelan capital Caracas, resulting in the kidnapping of Maduro and his wife and their transfer to New York, where they faced charges including "drug-related terrorism."

The newspaper quoted British diplomats as believing that Trump is also driven by a desire to shift the attention of American voters away from economic performance ahead of the midterm elections, in which the Republicans may lose control of Congress.

In parallel, the Telegraph reported that Britain is in talks with its European allies about the possibility of deploying military forces in Greenland, aimed at protecting the Arctic.

It reported that British officials met with their counterparts from European countries including Germany and France, to discuss preliminary plans that could include deploying soldiers, warships, and aircraft, as part of deterring what London describes as increasing Russian and Chinese military activity in the region.

The newspaper clarified that European countries hope that bolstering their military presence in the Arctic will persuade Trump to back down from his ambition of annexing Greenland, while quoting a British government source stating that London shares Washington's concerns about "increasing Russian aggression" in the north, but disagrees with it on handling methods.

Diplomatic cables - according to the Daily Mail - indicate that European officials discussed a "provocative scenario" in which Trump could use force or "political coercion" to sever Greenland's ties with Denmark, and described the worst possibilities as potentially leading to the "destruction of NATO from within."

In contrast, the cables talked about a "settlement scenario" in which Denmark agrees to give the United States full military access to Greenland, while preventing any Russian or Chinese influence, and clarifying the existing U.S. presence on a more legal basis.

A diplomatic source told the newspaper that some U.S. military leaders describe Trump’s plan as "mad and illegal," adding, "They try to deal with him as if they were dealing with a five-year-old child, by diverting him from the idea by proposing other alternatives."