Unlike with Greenland, the US president is reportedly not seeking full control over the territory
President Donald Trump has increasingly expressed concerns about Canada’s inability to protect its northern territories from potential adversaries, using the same national security pretext he used to justify his push to bring Greenland under US control, according to several officials cited by NBC News.
In private discussions with aides, the president has grown more exercised in recent weeks about what he sees as Canada’s vulnerability to alleged encroachment from Russia or China, arguing that Ottawa needs to spend more on defense, the unnamed officials claimed.
Both Beijing and Moscow have rejected this narrative. China has previously slammed the US president for using it as a “pretext” for his Arctic ambitions, while Russia has consistently opposed the region’s militarization, framing it as a zone for peaceful cooperation.
“Trump is really worried about the US continuing to drift in the Western Hemisphere and is focused on this,” one official told NBC. Another senior administration official stated the goal is “solidifying” the hemisphere under US leadership, with securing Canada’s northern border being a key part of that vision.
However, officials were clear that unlike the explicit pursuit of Greenland, there is no discussion of purchasing Canada or stationing US troops on the ground along its northern border. The focus is instead on pressuring Canada to bolster its own capabilities and deepen bilateral military cooperation, including enhanced joint training, increased patrols, and updated early-warning systems in Canada.
“They certainly need to up their game when it comes to Arctic capabilities,” one official said. “The status quo is not enough.”
The warnings from US officials have fueled existing fears in Canada that the country could become Washington’s next target following the shock abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and President Trump’s talk of seizing Greenland, Bloomberg reported last week.
On a recent visit to Beijing, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that dealing with China had become “more predictable” than the complex relationship with Washington. Carney has also publicly echoed European allies, stating Greenland’s future is a matter for Greenland and Denmark alone and expressing “concern” over Trump’s tariff threats related to the island.
