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European leaders, including in France and Germany, have announced they are working on a plan in case the United States follows through on its threat to take power. Greenland as tensions rise.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told France Inter radio on Wednesday that while nations want to act if the United States decides to to input Greenland and its ally, Denmark, want to do it “with our European partners”.
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“I was myself on the phone with the [US] Secretary of State [Marco Rubio] yesterday… He rejected the idea that what just happened in Venezuela could happen in Greenland,” Barrot said.
On Saturday, the United States – using fighter jets, attack helicopters and special forces – kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, bringing him to New York to stand trial for alleged drug trafficking.
US President Donald Trump’s decision to give the green light to kidnapping Maduro has led to widespread condemnation and fear that Greenland, whose president has previously said should be part of Washington’s security apparatus, could be taken by force.
But since then, European allies have rallied around Greenland’s sovereignty, saying the country belongs to its people.
“Meaningful dialogue – now”
Johannes Koskinen, chairman of the Finnish parliament’s foreign affairs committee, called for this issue to be raised within NATO.
“[Allies should] It’s about whether something needs to be done and whether the United States needs to be aligned in the sense that it cannot ignore mutually agreed upon plans in order to pursue its own power ambitions,” he said.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt requested an urgent meeting with Rubio to discuss the situation.
“We would like to add some nuance to the conversation,” Rasmussen wrote in a social media post. “Screaming needs to be replaced with more sensible dialogue. Now.”
Denmark has warned that any attempt to take Greenland by force would mean “everything stops”, including NATO and 80 years of close security ties.
Greenland’s government will join a meeting between Rubio and Danish officials next week over new U.S. claims on the Arctic island, its foreign minister said Wednesday.
“The European Union will support Greenland and Denmark where necessary and will not accept violations of international law wherever they occur,” said European Council President Antonio Costa.
“On Greenland, let me be clear: Greenland belongs to its people. Nothing can be decided on Denmark and on Greenland without Denmark or without Greenland,” Costa said in a speech.
“The European Union cannot accept violations of international law – whether in Cyprus, Latin America, Greenland, Ukraine or Gaza. Europe will remain “a firm and unwavering champion of international law and multilateralism.”
Control of Greenland
Greenland – the largest island in the world, with a population of 57,000 – is located between Europe and North America. Since 2019, during Trump’s first term, the president has floated the idea of controlling Greenland, saying it would benefits American security.
So far, Trump has not ruled out using force to take the island.
Rubio told reporters Wednesday that Trump’s intention was to buy Greenland. “This has always been the president’s intention from the beginning.”
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he had not heard of sending troops to Greenland and that the United States was “exploring diplomatic channels.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump and his national security team had “actively discussed” the option of purchasing Greenland.
“He believes it is in the best interest of the United States to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic region. “That’s why his team is currently discussing what a potential purchase would look like,” Leavitt told reporters.
Neither Leavitt nor Rubio ruled out the use of force. But Leavitt said: “The president’s first option has always been diplomacy. »
