Europe rallies behind Greenland following US interest
European leaders have released a joint statement over Greenland amid fears the US could be planning a take over following its operation to capture the leader of Venezuela.
Source: CNN
Europeâs major powers are rallying behind Greenland amid fears that the US is planning to take over the Arctic island following the success of its operation capturing the leader of Venezuela.
In recent days, an emboldened President Donald Trump has said the US âneedsâ Greenland, while his White House chief of staff Stephen Miller said nobody would fight the US over the future of the Danish territory.
The leaders âof France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark released a joint statement on Wednesday (AEDT) confirming that Greenland âbelongs to its peopleâ.
âIt is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,â said the âstatement.
The leaders said security in the Arctic must be achieved collectively with NATO allies, âincluding the United States.
âNATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European Allies are stepping up,â the statement said.
âWe and many other Allies have increased our presence, activities, and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries.â
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Trump has in recent weeks repeated that he wants to gain control of Greenland, an idea first voiced in â 2019 during his first presidency, arguing that it is vital for the US military, and that Denmark has not done enough to protect it.
A US military operation over the weekend in Venezuela that seized its leader has further rekindled concerns that Greenland might face a similar scenario.
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The White House told CNN that Trump believed Greenland was in a strategically important location that was critical for national security.
âHe is confident Greenlanders would be better served if protected by the United States from modern threats in the Arctic region,â a White House spokeswoman said on Wednesday (AEDT).
âThe President is committed to establishing long-term peace at home and abroad.â
Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego warned that the US had to take action to stop Trump.
âWAKE UP. Trump is telling us exactly what he wants to do. We must stop him before he invades another country on a whim,â Gallego said in a post on X.
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âIâm introducing a resolution to block Trump from invading Greenland. No more forever wars.â
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Denmark could count on the solidarity of all of Europe on the issue of Greenland.
âNo member should attack or threaten another member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Otherwise, NATO would lose its meaning if âconflict or mutual conflicts occurred within the alliance,â Tusk told reporters in Warsaw.
The Netherlands âalso fully supports the joint statement, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on X.
To fend off US criticism over Greenlandâs defence capabilities, Denmark last year pledged 42 billion Danish crowns ($9.79 billion) to boost its military âpresence in the Arctic.
However, in comments likely to alarm Washingtonâs European allies, White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller brushed âaside concerns about Danish sovereignty and international law.
âYou 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,â Miller told CNN on Monday (US time).
âThere âis âno need to think or even talk about this in the âcontext of a military operation. Nobody is going to fight the US militarily âover the future of Greenland,â Miller added.
Just hours after Saturdayâs Venezuela operation, Millerâs wife, Katie Miller, posted a map of Greenland painted in Stars & Stripes on X, accompanied by the text âSOONâ.
Greenland has a population of just 57,000 people, is not an independent member of NATO but is covered by Denmarkâs membership of the Western military alliance.
The islandâs strategic location between Europe and North America makes it a critical site for the US ballistic missile defence system. Its mineral wealth also aligns with Washingtonâs ambition to reduce reliance on Chinese exports.
Greenlandâs Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Monday that his government was seeking to strengthen ties with the United States and that citizens âshould not fear an imminent US takeover.
-with AAP
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