BERLIN: A group of European leaders on Tuesday underlined their support for Denmark after US President Donald Trump again voiced designs on its autonomous Arctic territory of Greenland. The leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain as well as Denmark said that sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders were "universal principles, and we will not stop defending them". Washington's military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears about Trump's designs on Greenland, which has untapped rare earth deposits and could be a vital player as polar ice melts, opening up new shipping routes.
Greenland is on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States, and Washington already has a military base there. With the situation in Venezuela more pressing, Trump quipped on Sunday that "we'll worry about Greenland in about two months". The European leaders' joint statement said: "Arctic security remains a key priority for Europe and it is critical for international and transatlantic security.
"Nato has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European allies are stepping up. "We and many other allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries." They stressed that Denmark — including Greenland — was part of Nato. "Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with Nato allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders," the leaders said. "These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them."
The statement was signed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. They added that the US was "an essential partner in this endeavour". "Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland," they said.
Denmark's prime minister warned on Monday that any US move to take Greenland by force would destroy 80 years of transatlantic security links, after President Donald Trump repeated his desire to annex the mineral-rich Arctic territory. Washington's military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears about Trump's designs on the autonomous Danish territory, which has untapped rare earth deposits and could be a vital player as polar ice melts, opening up new shipping routes. "We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it," the US leader said on Sunday.
In response, Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told Trump to back off, while several European countries and the European Union rushed to back Denmark, which has urged Washington to stop threatening a Nato ally. In Copenhagen, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told the TV2 network: "If the United States decides to military attack another Nato country, then everything would stop — that includes Nato and therefore post-World War II security."
Nielsen told Trump on social media: "That's enough now. No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation." "We are open to dialogue," he said. "But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law." On Monday, he called for renewed contact with the US and urged against panic. "The situation is not such that the United States can conquer Greenland. That is not the case. Therefore, we must not panic. We must restore the good cooperation we once had," Nielsen said in Nuuk.
The controversy drew statements of support from around Europe. EU foreign policy spokesperson Anitta Hipper told reporters the bloc was committed to defending the territorial integrity of its members. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said "only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark" could decide the territory's future — sentiments reflected in statements from the leaders of Finland, Sweden and Norway. France's foreign ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux told local TV that "borders cannot be changed by force" and added that his country felt "solidarity" with Denmark. The flare-up came after former Trump aide Katie Miller posted an online image on Saturday of Greenland in the colours of the US flag with the caption "SOON". — AFP
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