Copenhagen (AFP) – President Donald Trump’s calls that Greenland should become part of the United States were met with international condemnation Monday as the autonomous Danish territory’s prime minister warned, “That’s enough now.” Washington’s military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears for Greenland, which Trump has repeatedly said he wants to annex, given its strategic location in the Arctic.
While aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, Trump reiterated the goal. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he said in response to a reporter’s question. “We’ll worry about Greenland in about two months…let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days.” The territory’s prime minister issued a clear warning: “That’s enough now.” “No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation,” Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Facebook. “We are open to dialogue. We are open to discussions. But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law.”
Expressing its “solidarity” with Denmark on Monday, France’s foreign ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux told television channel TF1 that “borders cannot be changed by force.”
Trump rattled European leaders by attacking Caracas and grabbing Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, who is now being detained in New York. Trump has said the United States will now “run” Venezuela indefinitely and tap its huge oil reserves. Asked in a telephone interview with The Atlantic about the implications of the Venezuela military operation for mineral-rich Greenland, Trump said it was up to others to decide. “They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know,” Trump was quoted as saying. He added: “But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence.”
Trump last month claimed Russian and Chinese ships were “all over” the territory’s coast. China’s foreign ministry hit back on Monday urging “the US to stop using the so-called China threat as an excuse to seek personal gain.” Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on X: “No one decides for Greenland and Denmark but Greenland and Denmark themselves,” while his Swedish and Norwegian counterparts put out similar messages of support.
Former Trump aide Katie Miller, who is also the wife of the president’s most influential adviser, also drew ire by posting an image of Greenland in the colours of the US flag, captioning it “SOON.” Greenland’s Nielsen called Miller’s post “disrespectful,” writing on X that “our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts.” Over the weekend, the Danish prime minister also called on Washington to stop “threatening its historical ally.” “It is absolutely absurd to say that the United States should take control of Greenland,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement, also noting that Denmark, “and thus Greenland,” was a NATO member protected by the agreement’s security guarantees.
Stephen Miller is widely seen as the architect of much of Trump’s policies, guiding the president on his hardline immigration policies and domestic agenda. Denmark’s ambassador to the United States, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, offered a pointed “friendly reminder” in response to Katie Miller’s post that his country has “significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts” and worked together with Washington on that. “We are close allies and should continue to work together as such,” Soerensen wrote. Katie Miller was deputy press secretary under Trump at the Department of Homeland Security during his first term. She later worked as communications director for then-vice president Mike Pence and also acted as his press secretary.
© 2024 AFP
