Greenland dispute echoes decades of US-Europe friction since World War II

The dispute between the United States and Europe over Greenland’s future is the latest in a long series of deep disagreements that have strained the trans-Atlantic alliance since World War II, the Associated Press reported Saturday. From the Suez crisis to the invasion of Iraq to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, American and European allies have repeatedly clashed over strategy, sovereignty, and the use of force — rifts that tested, without severing, the partnership that anchors Western security.

The historical pattern carries new weight because the Greenland tensions are unfolding alongside a broader deterioration in U.S.-European relations under President Donald Trump, whose administration has threatened steep trade tariffs, released a national security strategy casting doubt on European reliability, reduced military support for Ukraine, and criticized European migration and free-speech policies — friction on multiple fronts simultaneously.

The dispute between the United States and Europe over Greenland is not the first time the post-World War II allies have been at loggerheads, the Associated Press reported Saturday. Deep disagreements have flared repeatedly since 1945, bringing trans-Atlantic diplomatic crises that each tested the underlying partnership without dissolving it.

The current tensions over Greenland are unfolding alongside a broader set of U.S.-European frictions under President Donald Trump, spanning Ukraine policy, trade, and a December 2025 national security strategy that cast doubt on Europe’s long-term reliability as an American partner.

Suez Crisis, 1956

When France, the United Kingdom, and Israel invaded Egypt in 1956, aiming to topple Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and take back control of the Suez Canal, the United States applied heavy diplomatic and economic pressure to stop them.

The U.S. intervention severely strained Washington’s relations with London and Paris, both key Cold War allies, and marked a milestone in Europe’s waning postwar influence.

Vietnam War

While European countries — with the exception of France — gave diplomatic backing to the United States during the Vietnam War, they refused to provide troops.

Street protests against the war had a significant political cost for European governments, which had to balance stated support for Washington against erosion of their domestic popularity.

Euromissile Crisis, 1980s

Russia’s deployment of SS-20 missiles capable of quickly striking Western Europe compelled NATO to install U.S. Pershing nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles and cruise missiles on the continent to maintain the nuclear balance.

The move ignited an uproar across Europe, where fears of a new arms race deepened. Huge anti-nuclear peace demonstrations filled the streets of European capitals throughout the 1980s, with protesters often directing their anger at Washington.

Invasion of Iraq, 2003

The U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 sparked a major crisis in relations with Europe, particularly after France and Germany refused to support the military action against President Saddam Hussein’s government.

Washington officials publicly rebuked Paris and Berlin. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld referred to France and Germany as “Old Europe” and praised Eastern European countries that backed the invasion as “New Europe.”

Extraordinary Rendition, 2000s

As part of its “war on terror,” the United States captured and sometimes kidnapped suspects, then transferred them to locations where they were interrogated and, according to the Associated Press, often tortured outside the reach of U.S. law.

Some European governments were complicit in the program, the AP reported. A public outcry eventually forced political leaders across the continent to denounce the practice.

War in Ukraine

When Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, he upended three years of American policy toward Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Trump spoke warmly of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was cold toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and significantly reduced U.S. military aid to Kyiv.

Alarmed European leaders, who view their own security as bound up in Ukraine’s fate, pressed Trump to side with Kyiv.

National Security Strategy

The Trump administration released a national security strategy in December 2025 that portrayed European allies as weak. The document was scathing of European migration and free-speech policies, suggested that European allies face the “prospect of civilizational erasure,” and cast doubt on their long-term reliability as American partners, according to the AP.

Trade Tariffs

With U.S.-European relations deteriorating, Trump threatened the 27-nation European Union with tariffs of 30% in July 2025 — a move described by European officials as deeply hostile, the AP reported. The European Union is the largest trading partner of the United States.

Both sides later agreed to a trade framework setting a 15% tariff on most goods.