TEHRAN - For years, European leaders have spoken of Russia as the singular threat to Europe’s security. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen captured this consensus in October 2025 when she stated: “There is only one country that is willing to threaten us (Europe), and it is Russia, and therefore we need a very strong answer back.” That statement reflected the prevailing mindset that NATO’s purpose was to contain Russia, and the United States was the indispensable ally in that mission.

Recently, the crisis over Greenland has upended this assumption. U.S. President Donald Trump’s insistence that Washington must control Greenland, coupled with his refusal to reject the use of force, has pushed Europe to confront a new and unsettling reality.

On Tuesday, the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark issued a statement, which read: "Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations." The joint statement was not simply a defense of Greenland’s sovereignty; it was a recognition that the United States itself has become a source of threat.

In addition, the symbolism of Katie Miller posting Greenland draped in the American flag on her X account, followed by Stephen Miller’s assertion that annexation is the “formal position” of Washington, underscored the seriousness of the moment.

This confrontation strikes at the heart of NATO. The alliance was built on the principle of collective defense against external aggression. If the United States, the alliance’s dominant power, turns its coercive force against a fellow member, the very logic of NATO collapses.

In this context, Frederiksen’s Monday warning that an American attack would spell the end of NATO is not hyperbole but a sober assessment of the alliance’s existential dilemma. Europe must now reckon with the paradox that its protector could also be its aggressor.

Besides, the Greenland episode highlights a broader strategic shift. Russia remains a traditional adversary. Yet Trump’s revival of the Monroe Doctrine, demonstrated first in Venezuela and now extended to the Arctic, shows that the United States is willing to disregard sovereignty when it suits its interests. Europe therefore faces a dual-threat environment: Russia as the conventional challenger, and the United States as a destabilizing force within the very system designed to safeguard Europe.

Frederiksen’s framing of Russia as Europe’s only threat in October now appears outdated. The Greenland dispute clearly indicates that Europe’s security is vulnerable not only to adversaries but also to allies who abandon the principles of collective defense. The joint European statement issued by leaders of six European countries plus Denmark is more than a rebuke to Trump. It is a declaration that Europe must redefine its strategic posture in a world where even the United States can become a threat. Europe should also seek to ensure that its sovereignty is not hostage to Washington’s ambitions.