Andrius Kubilius, the EU commissioner for defence and space, said the bloc could help provide security for Greenland if Denmark were to request assistance, according to Reuters.
US President Donald Trump has said the United States must own Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, to prevent Russia or China from gaining influence over the strategically located Arctic island.
On Sunday, Trump said the United States would take control of the mineral-rich territory "one way or the other."
Denmark and the United States, both NATO members, are expected to hold talks this week on Greenland.
Danish and Greenlandic officials have repeatedly said the territory is not for sale, though Trump has not ruled out the use of force, Reuters reported.
"I agree with the Danish prime minister that it would be the end of NATO," Kubilius said at a security conference in Sweden, as quoted by Reuters.
He added that such a move would also have "very deep negative impact among the people and on our transatlantic relations."
Kubilius said he did not think a US military invasion was coming. However, he noted that Article 42.7 of the EU treaty obligates member states to provide assistance to another member facing armed aggression, Reuters reported.
"It will depend very much on Denmark—how it reacts and what its position is—but there is a clear obligation of member states to provide mutual assistance if another member state faces military aggression,” he said, according to Reuters.
(gs)
Source: Reuters
Click on the audio player above for a report by Agnieszka Bielawska.