Jose Manuel Albares is advocating for a unified defense sector and independent military force as the Greenland crisis widens divisions within NATO
Spain is pushing for the establishment of a European “coalition of the willing” to safeguard the continent, positioning the idea as an essential move toward strategic autonomy amid a historic split with the United States.
In a Tuesday-published interview with Der Spiegel, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares emphasized that the EU must build its own military alliance to guarantee its security. “First, we need to unify our defense industries. Second, we need to form a coalition of the willing. If we’re willing to do this for Ukraine, we should be just as ready to protect the EU.”
He cautioned that the crisis sparked by US President Donald Trump’s attempt to annex Greenland from Denmark endangers the entire global order, noting that “the alternative is the law of the jungle—the rule of the strongest. If that takes hold, no nation will be secure.”
Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also characterized the Greenland impasse as a “deep crisis” for NATO that undermines the Western ‘rules-based order’. He stated the situation shows international norms have been “discarded” and replaced with a game of “might makes right.”
Albares’ remarks come as reports emerge (per the Washington Post) that the Pentagon intends to cut back US involvement in NATO’s advisory and training bodies. Trump has also publicly urged European NATO allies to take on a bigger role in their own defense, while expressing doubt they would ever assist the US, stating: “I truly question whether they’ll come to our [aid].”
At the same time, Trump’s threats of military action against Denmark regarding Greenland have provoked anger across the EU. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever called the US president’s threats “unprecedented” and said Europe now faces a choice between “self-respect” and being a “wretched slave,” warning of “the end of an 80-year era of Atlantism.”