Donald Trump has ordered special forces commanders to prepare plans for an invasion of Greenland, but the proposal is facing resistance from senior military figures, The Mail on Sunday understands.

Sources said policy hawks around the US President, led by political adviser Stephen Miller, feel emboldened by the reported success of the operation to detain Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro. They are said to want swift action to secure the island before Russia or China takes steps of its own.

British diplomats believe Trump is also driven by a wish to divert voters’ attention from the state of the US economy ahead of the mid-term elections later this year, after which he could lose control of Congress to the Democrats.

Such a move would place him in direct conflict with Sir Keir Starmer and would, in effect, bring about the collapse of Nato.

Sources divulged that the president asked the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) to prepare an invasion plan. The proposal has met opposition from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who argue that it would be unlawful and would not receive congressional backing.

One source said efforts had been made to divert Trump’s attention towards less contentious options, including intercepting Russian “ghost ships” — a covert fleet of vessels used by Moscow to bypass Western sanctions — or considering military action against Iran.

Diplomats have conducted war games around what they describe as an “escalatory scenario”, in which Trump uses force or political pressure to break Greenland’s ties with Denmark.

One diplomatic cable terms a worst-case outcome that results in “the destruction of Nato from within”.

It adds that some European officials suspect this is the underlying objective of the hardline Maga faction around Trump. Since Congress would not permit a US withdrawal from Nato, the occupation of Greenland could compel European states to abandon the alliance.

“If Trump wants to end Nato, this may be the most convenient route,” the cable says.

Under a 'compromise scenario', Denmark would grant the United States full military access to Greenland while denying access to Russia and China.