Analysis

January 19, 2026

European defence founders and VCs weigh in on Trump’s Greenland threats: ‘A serious distraction’

Some VCs believe the US's aggression could benefit pure-play defence startups


Anne Sraders

4 min read

A boat in Greenland. Photo: Unsplash.

The possibility of the US taking over Greenland has rapidly become the principal concern of Europeans in the last few days, as EU nations weigh €93bn worth of tariffs in retaliation to the US’s threats. It’s also sparked unease among Europe’s defence founder and VC circles.

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Anne Sraders

Anne Sraders is a senior reporter at Sifted, based in Berlin. She covers the venture capital industry and deeptech startups, including robotics, spacetech and defence tech. She also writes Sifted's weekly VC newsletter Up Round. Follow her on X and LinkedIn

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