European leaders have rallied behind Denmark and Greenland after US President Donald Trump renewed threats to annex the strategic, mineral-rich island. The UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a statement asserting that “Greenland belongs to its people” and that only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning the territory.
The clash comes as 27 heads of state and government, including military officials and two US envoys, gathered in Paris to discuss Ukraine’s security guarantees. The White House insisted on Tuesday that it is “discussing options for acquiring Greenland,” calling it a national security priority and stating that utilising the US military is “always an option.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney echoed European leaders, telling reporters in Paris that “the future of Greenland is a decision exclusively for the people of Greenland and Denmark.” Rose Gottemoeller, former deputy secretary general of Nato, warned that the US positioning itself as a “hostile actor” against an ally puts the alliance through an “existential” crisis, calling any military action “unprecedented.”
Trump argues that Greenland is vital for US security due to rising threats from China and Russia in the Arctic, and that Denmark has not done enough to protect it. However, Frederiksen has stated that a US takeover would amount to the end of Nato. The tensions have added pressure to the Paris talks, where the UK and France announced plans to deploy troops and build military hubs in Ukraine as part of a security guarantee backed by the US.
