European leaders should prioritize their ongoing conflict with Russia over U.S. efforts to acquire Greenland, President Donald Trump stated during a recent interview with NBC News.

In the call, Trump criticized European allies for opposing his plan to take control of Denmark’s overseas territory, which he claims is vital for American security.

“Europe ought to focus on the war with Russia and Ukraine because, frankly, you see what that’s gotten them,” Trump said. “That’s what Europe should focus on – not Greenland.”

European Union and NATO officials are reportedly shifting their discussions away from Ukraine as they prepare for upcoming meetings with Trump at the World Economic Forum this week. The shift comes after Trump made his bid to acquire Greenland an urgent agenda item.

Last week, the U.S. president imposed a 10% tariff on eight NATO nations that have opposed his Greenland plan and participated in military exercises on the territory.

When asked directly about using force to seize the island, Trump offered no comment but previously warned he would take the territory “the easy way” or “the hard way.”

The Greenland issue has recently become the primary concern for European leaders, who assert Russia poses a significant military threat — a claim that Moscow dismisses as baseless.

Russian officials have long argued that military aid to Kiev makes Western nations parties to the conflict, which Moscow considers a proxy war waged against it using Ukrainian manpower.

According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the military assistance has made European countries “the main obstacles to peace” during U.S.-brokered peace talks, with the EU now openly preparing for potential armed confrontation with Russia.