Leaders from major European powers and Canada rallied behind Greenland yesterday, saying the Arctic island belongs to its people, following a renewed threat by US President Donald Trump to take over the Danish territory.
Trump has in recent days repeated that he wants to gain control of Greenland, an idea first voiced in 2019 during his first presidency, arguing it is vital for the US military, and that Denmark has not done enough to protect it.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller on Monday dismissed concerns about Danish sovereignty.
“You can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else,” Miller told CNN. “But we live in a world, in the real world, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power.”
A US military operation over the weekend that seized the leader of Venezuela has rekindled concerns that Greenland might face a similar scenario. Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the US.
Asked whether he trusts Trump, Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said the Nordic nation trusts its membership of the Nato military alliance, of which it is a founding member alongside the US and others.
Greenland’s government said it had asked for an urgent meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alongside Rasmussen, to discuss the situation.
“Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” said a joint statement issued by the leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark.
Canada and the Netherlands also backed the statement.
The leaders said security in the Arctic must be achieved collectively with Nato allies, including the US.
“Nato has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European Allies are stepping up,” the statement said.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters in Warsaw: “No member should attack or threaten another member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Otherwise, Nato would lose its meaning...”
In a separate statement, Nordic foreign ministers – from Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark – also stressed Greenland’s right to decide its own affairs, while noting they had increased their investments in Arctic security and offering to do more in consultation with the US and other Nato allies.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the European leaders’ pledge of solidarity and renewed his call to the US for a “respectful dialogue”.
US Special Envoy Jeff Landry, asked about the Europeans’ joint statement yesterday, told CNBC: “Security should be a major concern for the US.”
Asked whether security should be handled in conjunction with Nato, he said: “I think we should ask the Greenlanders.” Trump named Landry, the Republican governor of Louisiana, as his special envoy to Greenland last month, asking him to “lead the charge” for the island.
Landry said yesterday that Trump was offering Greenland economic opportunities but he did not think the president would take it by force.
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