After Maduro – who does he dream of next? Trump’s threats against Greenland, Cuba, and Colombia

One day after the US military seizure in Venezuela, Donald Trump sharpens his tone – and expands the circle of targets. While Nicolás Maduro is in US custody, the president openly speaks about taking over Greenland, portrays Cuba as the next crisis hotspot, and issues barely veiled threats against Colombia. What was sold as a limited operation now appears like a fundamental reordering of the Western Hemisphere according to American preferences. Dictator shopping, essentially.

Trump: “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and the European Union also needs us to have it. And they know it.”

Trump renewed his demand for control of Greenland, which belongs to Denmark, and justified it with security interests. The Arctic island was surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships, the United States “needs Greenland,” he said. When asked what the Venezuela operation meant for Greenland, he answered evasively, saying those concerned would have to assess that themselves. The strategic line became clearer in a recently published security document by his administration, which explicitly names the restoration of American dominance in the Western Hemisphere as a goal.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded to Trump’s statements on Greenland with the following declaration:

“I must say this very directly to the United States: It makes absolutely no sense to speak about the alleged necessity for the United States to take over Greenland.
Es ergibt absolut keinen Sinn, über die angebliche Notwendigkeit zu sprechen, dass die Vereinigten Staaten Grönnland übernehmen.

The United States has no right to annex one of the three countries of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of Denmark – and thus Greenland – is part of NATO and therefore falls under the alliance’s security guarantee. We already have a defense agreement between the Kingdom and the United States that grants the US extensive access to Greenland. And on the side of the Kingdom, we have invested significantly in security in the Arctic.
Das Königreich Dänemark – und damit auch Grönland – ist Teil der NATO und fällt somit unter die Sicherheitsgarantie des Bündnisses. Wir haben bereits heute ein Verteidigungsabkommen zwischen dem Königreich und den Vereinigten Staaten, das den USA weitreichenden Zugang zu Grönland gewährt. Und wir haben auf Seiten des Königreichs erheblich in die Sicherheit in der Arktis investiert.

I therefore strongly urge the United States to end the threats against a historically close ally as well as against another country and another people who have made very clear that they are not for sale.” (During the night of January 5, 2026, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded to Trump’s threats)

In Copenhagen, these statements triggered alarm. Denmark’s prime minister made it unmistakably clear that the United States has no right to annex Greenland and reminded Washington that it already has extensive military access to the island. Denmark’s ambassador to the United States, Jesper Møller Sørensen, also publicly called for respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom. Tensions increased further when Katie Miller, wife of Trump’s influential adviser Stephen Miller, published an image showing Greenland covered in US flag colors, accompanied by the word “Soon.”

And the EU? Europe behaves like a continent under political anesthesia. One sees what is happening, understands the magnitude, and yet chooses to look away. Threats are relativized, fantasies of borders are downplayed, abuses of power are met with diplomatic silence. This behavior is not cautious, it is cowardly. Europe drifts along, hoping not to be the next target, and sells passivity as prudence to its citizens. In truth, it is a collective failure of a complacent political leadership. Those who do not speak clearly in such a situation, do not act together, and do not publicly object, voluntarily give up their power to shape events. This is not realpolitik, it is submission through inaction. And when politicians prefer to manage the status quo instead of defending it, they lose their legitimacy. Democracies are not safe spaces for cowards.

Beyond dinner tables and gala evenings, the EU should finally recognize that it is stronger than it allows itself to appear. Instead, the political and diplomatic quality of many responses comes across as alarmingly weak. History offers a clear warning. The Weimar Republic did not collapse solely because of its declared enemies, but because of a system that lost itself in procedures, jurisdictions, and formal order while anti-democratic forces acted with determination. Conservative elites sought to appease, administrations continued to function as if nothing were happening, courts clung to claims of neutrality, and the political center hoped that events would somehow stabilize on their own. That waiting proved fatal. Democracy did not fall because it lacked rules, but because no one was prepared to defend it in time. Those who sit out shifts in power instead of confronting them openly help bring them about. Europe should not merely cite this historical lesson, but finally act on it. If some politicians are not capable of doing so, resignation is the only consequence.

“For Venezuela we are ready to give even our own blood!”

At a massive rally in Havana, just steps away from the US embassy, Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel today sharply condemned Trump’s bombing of Caracas as an act of terrorism and a violation of international law. At the same time, he accused Washington of having “kidnapped” President Nicolás Maduro and called on his supporters to “take a stand against fascism.”

At the same time, attention is turning toward Cuba. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Cuban leadership was in serious trouble. He claimed that Maduro had been protected in Venezuela by Cuban security forces, who also organized internal surveillance. Trump himself followed up and described Cuba as a failing state that would soon be discussed. In Havana, the government responded with a rally in support of Venezuela and warned that the threat affected the entire region. Many people are following developments with concern. Residents speak of an attack on a sovereign state and of the possibility that something similar could happen to Cuba.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro openly contradicts Donald Trump and declares:

“If you want to put me in prison, then try it. If you want to put an orange jumpsuit on me, then try it. The Colombian people will take to the streets to defend me.”

Finally, Colombia comes into focus. Trump insulted President Gustavo Petro as a man who produces cocaine and sells it to the United States, and openly said that a military action sounded “good” to him. His administration had previously imposed sanctions on Petro and his circle and placed Colombia, for the first time in decades, on a list of uncooperative states in the war on drugs. The threats fit into a policy that began with deadly attacks on suspected smuggling boats and now targets entire states.

What remains is a growing sense of uncertainty among allies and adversaries alike. Greenland, Cuba, Colombia – all hear signals from Washington that sound less like diplomacy and more like the exercise of power. After Maduro, the question is no longer whether the United States intends to expand its role, but where the next line will be drawn.