COPENHAGEN, Jan 6 : Leaders from major European powers rallied behind Greenland on Tuesday, saying in a joint statement that the Arctic island belongs to its people, following renewed interest by U.S. President Donald Trump in taking over the Danish territory.
Trump has in recent weeks repeated that he wants to gain control of Greenland, an idea first voiced in 2019 during his first presidency, arguing that it is vital for the U.S. military, and that Denmark has not done enough to protect it.
A U.S. military operation over the weekend in Venezuela that seized its leader has further rekindled concerns that Greenland might face a similar scenario. Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the United States.
"Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland," said the statement by leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark.
The leaders said security in the Arctic must be achieved collectively with NATO allies, including the United States.
"NATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European Allies are stepping up," the statement said. "We and many other Allies have increased our presence, activities, and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries."
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that Denmark could count on the solidarity of all of Europe on the issue of Greenland.
"No member should attack or threaten another member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Otherwise, NATO would lose its meaning if conflict or mutual conflicts occurred within the alliance," Tusk told reporters in Warsaw.
The Netherlands also fully supports the joint statement, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on X.
To fend off U.S. criticism over Greenland's defence capabilities, Denmark last year pledged 42 billion Danish crowns ($6.58 billion) to boost its military presence in the Arctic.
However, in comments likely to alarm Washington's European allies, White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller brushed aside concerns about Danish sovereignty and international law.
"You can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else. 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," Miller told CNN on Monday.
"There is no need to think or even talk about this in the context of a military operation. Nobody is going to fight the US militarily over the future of Greenland," Miller added.
Meanwhile, Denmark's prime minister warned 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 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."
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, "we'll worry about Greenland in about two months," Trump quipped Sunday.
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. "REUTERS, AFP
