European leaders, including France and Germany, announced they are working on plans in case the United States carries out its threat to take over Greenland amid rising tensions.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrault told France Inter Radio on Wednesday that countries want to take action if the United States tries to seize Greenland from its ally Denmark, but “in cooperation with our European partners.”
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“I myself was on the phone yesterday with the (U.S.) Secretary of State (Marco Rubio)…he dismissed the idea that what happened in Venezuela could happen in Greenland,” Barot said.
On Saturday, the United States used fighter jets, attack helicopters and special forces to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and take him to New York City to stand trial on drug trafficking charges.
US President Donald Trump’s decision to greenlight Maduro’s abduction led to widespread condemnation and concerns that Greenland, which the president had previously said should be part of Washington’s security apparatus, could be forcibly occupied.
But since then, European allies have rallied behind Greenland’s sovereignty, insisting that it belongs to its people.
“Wise Conversations – Now”
Johannes Koskinen, head of the Finnish parliament’s foreign affairs committee, called for the issue to be raised within NATO.
“[Allies]should talk about whether something needs to be done and whether they should align themselves with the United States in the sense that the United States cannot ignore jointly agreed plans to pursue its own power ambitions,” he said.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen and Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt requested an emergency meeting with Rubio to discuss the situation.
“I want to add nuance to the conversation,” Rasmussen wrote in a social media post. “Screaming matches must be replaced with smarter dialogue. Now.”
Denmark warned that any move to seize Greenland by force would mean “everything comes to a halt”, including NATO and the country’s 80-year-old security relationship.
Greenland’s government will participate in talks between Rubio and Danish officials next week following the reaffirmation of U.S. claims to the Arctic island, Greenland’s foreign minister announced on Wednesday.
European Council President Antonio Costa said: “The European Union will support Greenland and Denmark where necessary and will not tolerate violations of international law wherever they occur.”
“About Greenland, let me be clear: Greenland belongs to the people. We cannot decide anything about Denmark or Greenland without Denmark or 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 an unwavering defender of international law and multilateralism.”
domination of greenland
Greenland is the world’s largest island with a population of 57,000 people and is located between Europe and North America. Since his first term in 2019, President Trump has floated the idea of taking control of Greenland, saying it would benefit U.S. national security.
So far, President Trump has not ruled out using force to seize the island.
Rubio told reporters Wednesday that President Trump’s intention is to buy Greenland. “That was always the president’s intent from the beginning.”
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 Caroline Levitt said Trump and his national security team are “actively discussing” options for purchasing Greenland.
“He believes it is in the best interest of the United States to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic region, so his team is currently discussing what a potential acquisition might look like,” Levitt told reporters.
Neither Mr. Levitt nor Mr. Rubio ruled out the possibility of using force. But, Levitt said, “the president’s first choice has always been diplomacy.”
