Denmark Wins European Support Amid Trump’s Greenland Remarks
Six European nations have voiced their backing for Denmark after the US renewed its demand to take control of Greenland.
Leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark said in a joint statement, “Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relationship.”
On Sunday, Donald Trump said the US “needed” Greenland for security reasons – a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, a NATO member.
He did not rule out using force to seize the territory, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Monday that a US attack would signal the end of NATO.
NATO is a transatlantic military alliance where allies are expected to come to each other’s aid in the event of an external attack.
The issue of Greenland’s future resurfaced after a US military intervention in Venezuela, during which elite troops seized the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and took him to New York to face drug and weapons charges.
Following the raid, Trump said the US would “run” Venezuela for a while.
He also stated that the US was returning to its 1823 policy of US supremacy in its sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere – and warned several countries that the US might be turning its attention to them.
The US military raid in Venezuela has revived fears that the US might consider using force to gain control of Greenland.
The day after the raid, Katie Miller, wife of a senior Trump aide, posted a map of Greenland in the colors of the American flag on social media, accompanied by the word “SOON.”
On Monday, her husband, Stephen Miller, stated that it is “the formal position of the US government that Greenland should be part of the United States.”
In an interview with CNN, he also said that the US is “the power of NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region and to protect NATO and NATO interests, it is obvious that Greenland should be part of the United States.”
When repeatedly asked whether the US would rule out using force to acquire it, Miller replied, “No one is going to fight the United States over the future of Greenland.”
The seven European countries that signed Tuesday’s joint statement emphasized that they are just as committed to Arctic security as the US. They said this must be achieved “together” with NATO allies, including the US, and while “upholding the principles of the UN Charter, which includes sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of borders.”
Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, welcomed the statement and called for “respectful dialogue.”
Nielsen said, “The dialogue must be conducted with respect for the fact that Greenland’s status is based on international law and the principle of territorial integrity.”
Trump has claimed that making Greenland part of the US would benefit American security interests due to its strategic location and abundance of minerals essential for the high-tech sector.
The Trump administration’s recent move to appoint a special envoy to Greenland sparked anger in Denmark.
Greenland, with a population of 57,000, has enjoyed extensive self-government since 1979, although defense and foreign policy remain under Danish control.
While most Greenlanders favor independence from Denmark, opinion polls show they overwhelmingly oppose becoming part of the United States.
