This aerial photo shows an iceberg floating in the sun-beaten sea with buildings in the background off the coast of Nuuk, Greenland, on March 11, 2025, the day of parliamentary elections in the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland.
Odd Andersen | AFP | Getty Images
LONDON — European stock markets were mixed on Wednesday morning, amid growing anxiety in the region over U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to annex Greenland.
pan-european Stocks 600 Early trading saw little change, with sectors and major regional exchanges in mixed regions.
European defense stocks rose, with the Stoxx European Aerospace and Defense index up about 0.3%, paring earlier strong gains but on its way to a fourth consecutive day of gains.
Following the US military operation that led to the capture and arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, global market attention has shifted to President Trump’s intentions regarding Denmark’s autonomous territory of Greenland.
The president and his team are considering a “range of options” to acquire Greenland, including “the use of the U.S. military,” White House press secretary Caroline Levitt told CNBC on Tuesday.
President Trump has argued that the United States needs the Arctic islands for national security purposes, and this week pointed to Russian and Chinese activities in the region.
Both Greenland and Denmark have repeatedly said the country is not up for grabs, and European leaders issued a statement on Tuesday saying: “Greenland belongs to the people. Denmark and Greenland, and they alone, decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”
Danish Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said in a separate statement Tuesday night that Denmark would spend 88 billion Danish kroner ($13.8 billion) to rearm Greenland, given the “serious security situation in which our country finds itself.”
“I hope that the United States also recognizes that fact and is ready to cooperate in the common interest of Arctic security,” he said. “Because Denmark wants to remain an ally of the United States. But that requires a mutual willingness to show respect and cooperation.”
Logistics companies when looking at individual stocks in Europe impost It fell 5.8% and fell to the bottom of the Stoxx 600 in early trading. Shares rose 28% in Tuesday trading after the company said it had received an indicative offer to acquire all of its shares.
In other places, bayer Shares rose 1.1% after the company announced it would sue the coronavirus vaccine maker. pfizer, biontechand modernaclaims that the company used its mRNA technology in its own virus vaccinations. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Delaware federal court, Bayer accuses both companies of patent infringement.
“Moderna is aware of the lawsuit and intends to defend itself against these allegations,” a Moderna spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday. “No further comment.”
Pfizer and BioNTech did not immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.
Wednesday’s data release includes preliminary euro zone inflation figures for December, with economists polled by Reuters expecting inflation to be 2%, in line with the European Central Bank’s target.
