United States (US) President Donald Trump has been discussing “a range of options” to acquire Greenland, including military options, according to the White House.
Though defence and foreign policy rest in the hands of Denmark, Greenland, with a population of 57,000, has had extensive self-government since 1979.
Denmark is opposed to the US ambition, with European leaders rallying behind the Danish government. Six European allies have expressed support for Denmark.
Trump repeated over the weekend that the US “needed” Greenland for security reasons, prompting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to warn that any attack by the US would spell the end of Nato. NATO is a transatlantic military alliance in which allies are expected to come to each other’s aid in the event of external attacks.
On Tuesday, the White House said: “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US military is always an option at the Commander-in-Chief’s disposal.”
“Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations,” the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark said in a joint statement.
They, therefore, called for “upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of borders.”
Greenland’s 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 rooted in international law and the principle of territorial integrity,” Nielsen said.
The question of Greenland’s future resurfaced in the wake of the US military intervention in Venezuela, during which US elite troops seized the country’s President Nicolás Maduro and took him to face drugs and weapons charges in New York.
