Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that any US military attack on Greenland would spell the end of Nato and post-second world war security. Her comments follow renewed threats from US President Donald Trump to take over the largely autonomous island, which is a former Danish colony and part of the Danish kingdom.
Frederiksen told Danish television network TV2: 'If the United States decides to militarily attack another Nato country, then everything would stop – that includes Nato and therefore post-second world war security.' She accused the US of applying 'unacceptable pressure' and described Trump's rhetoric as an 'unreasonable attack on the world community'.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also condemned Trump's 'fantasies about annexation', stating in a social media post: 'Threats, pressure and talk of annexation have no place between friends. Enough is enough.' Speaking later in Nuuk, Nielsen sought to calm fears of an imminent takeover, saying: 'We are not in the situation where we are thinking that a takeover of the country might happen overnight. You cannot compare Greenland to Venezuela. We are a democratic country.'
The European Union has backed Denmark and Greenland, with foreign policy spokesperson Anitta Hipper stating: 'The EU will continue to uphold the principles of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.' However, pressure is mounting on Frederiksen ahead of a general election to outline concrete plans for defending Greenland. Greenlandic MP Aaja Chemnitz urged preparedness, saying: 'We should hope for the best and prepare for the worst.'
