European Leaders Join Forces to Warn Trump: ‘Greenland Belongs to Its People’

Sergi Reboredo/VWPics via AP Images & Andrea Renault/STAR MAX/IPx

European leaders have issued an unusually blunt joint statement on Greenland, insisting the Arctic territory “belongs to its people” and rejecting any suggestion it could be taken by force or pressure after comments by President Donald Trump and key members of his administration.

Leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the U.K. issued a joint statement on Tuesday alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, reaffirming that the island’s future was a decision for its own citizens.

“Greenland belongs to its people,” the statement said. “It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

“Arctic security remains a key priority for Europe and it is critical for international and transatlantic security,” the statement went on, stressing that NATO already treats the region as strategically vital.

“We and many other Allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries,” it continued. “Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.”

The unusually direct intervention follows Trump’s weekend comments reviving the idea that the U.S. should assume control of Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Danish kingdom and a member of NATO, citing growing Chinese and Russian activity in the Arctic. Trump framed the issue as a matter of “strategic” national security.

“Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” he said. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”

The rhetoric was reinforced on Monday by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, who questioned Denmark’s authority over the territory while insisting the administration was not contemplating military action.

“The president has been clear for months now that the United States should be the nation that has Greenland as part of our overall security apparatus,” Miller said during an interview with CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Monday afternoon.

“What is the basis of their territorial claim,” he also asked. “What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark?”

He sought to downplay fears of escalation, adding: “There is no need to even think or talk about this in the context that you are asking, of a military operation. Nobody is going to fight the U.S. militarily over the future of Greenland.”

Denmark’s prime minister warned earlier this week that any U.S. military move against Greenland would shatter NATO itself.