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Six European allies have rallied to support Denmark following renewed US insistence on the need to control Greenland.
“Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relationship,” the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark said in a joint statement.
On Sunday, Donald Trump said the United States “needs” Greenland – a semi-autonomous region of fellow NATO member Denmark – for security reasons.
He has refused to rule out the use of force to take control of territory, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Monday that a US attack would mean the end of NATO.
NATO is a transatlantic military group where allies are supposed to help each other in the event of external attacks.
The question of Greenland’s future has resurfaced following the US military intervention in Venezuela, in which elite troops moved in to arrest President Nicolas Maduro and bring him to New York to face drug and weapons charges.
Following the raid, Trump declared that the United States would “run” Venezuela for an indefinite period.
He also said the United States was returning to an 1823 policy of American supremacy in its sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere — and he warned a number of countries that the United States might turn its attention toward them.
The US military raid in Venezuela has reignited fears that the United States is considering using force to secure control of Greenland.
A day after the raid, Katie Miller – the wife of one of Trump’s top aides – posted a map of Greenland in the colors of the American flag on social media, alongside the word “SOON.”
On Monday, her husband Stephen Miller said “the official position of the U.S. government is that Greenland should be part of the United States.”
In an interview with CNN, he also said that the United States “is the power of NATO. For the United States to secure the Arctic region and protect and defend NATO interests, it is obvious that Greenland should be part of the United States.”
When asked repeatedly whether the United States would rule out using force to annex Greenland, Miller responded, “No one will fight the United States over the future of Greenland.”
Stressing that they are as committed as the United States to Arctic security, the seven European signatories to Tuesday’s joint statement said this must be achieved by NATO allies, including the United States, “collectively” – while “respecting the principles of the United Nations Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.”
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the statement and called for “respectful dialogue.”
“The dialogue must take place with respect for the fact that Greenland’s status is anchored in international law and the principle of territorial integrity,” Nielsen said.
Trump claimed that integrating Greenland into the United States would serve American security interests because of its strategic location and abundance of minerals critical to high-tech sectors.
The recent decision by the Trump administration to appoint a special envoy to Greenland sparked anger in Denmark.
Greenland, which has 57,000 inhabitants, has enjoyed broad autonomy since 1979, even if defense and foreign policy remain in the hands of the Danes.
While most Greenlanders favor eventual independence from Denmark, opinion polls show overwhelming opposition to joining the United States.
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