ReutersFrance has said the European Union will not allow other countries to attack its “sovereign borders” after US President-elect Donald Trump did not rule out using military force to occupy Greenland.
On Tuesday, President Trump reiterated his desire to acquire an autonomous Danish territory, calling it “critical” to national and economic security.
“There is no doubt that the European Union will allow anyone else in the world to attack its borders,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barro told France Radio.
Barrot said he did not believe the United States would invade the vast Arctic island, but he was clear the EU should not threaten itself.
Denmark, a long-time ally of the United States, has repeatedly made clear that Greenland is not for sale and belongs to its people.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede is pushing for independence and has made clear the territory is not for sale. He visited Copenhagen on Wednesday.
President Trump said this at a freewheeling press conference held at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, less than two weeks before his second presidential inauguration.
When asked whether he intended to use military or economic power to seize Greenland or the Panama Canal, President Trump responded, “No, I can’t guarantee either.”
“But I would say it is necessary for economic security.”
Greenland has been home to a U.S. radar station since the Cold War and has long been strategically important to Washington.
Trump has suggested the island is critical to military efforts to track Chinese and Russian ships, which he said are “all over the place.”
“I’m talking about protecting the free world,” he told reporters.
“If you ask me whether I think the United States will invade Greenland, my answer is no,” Barrot told France Inter radio.
“Have we entered an era of survival of the fittest? The answer is yes.
“So if we have to allow ourselves to be scared and consumed by worry, which is clearly not the case, we must wake up and become empowered.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in an interview with Danish TV on Tuesday that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders” and that only local residents can decide its future.
But she stressed that Denmark needs close cooperation with its NATO ally, the United States.
ReutersGreenland, the world’s largest island but with a population of just 57,000, has an economy that relies heavily on subsidies from Copenhagen and has extensive autonomy despite remaining part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
It also has the largest reserves of rare earth minerals, which are important in the manufacture of batteries and advanced devices.
Steffen Kretz, a senior international correspondent for the Danish Broadcasting Corporation who has been reporting from the Greenlandic capital Nuuk, said most people he spoke to were “shocked” by the suggestion that Trump could use military force to seize territory.
He said the majority of Greenlanders hope for future independence, but there is widespread recognition that the country needs a partner that can provide public services, defense and economic infrastructure like Denmark.
“I have yet to meet anyone who dreams of Greenland becoming a colony for the United States or any other outside power.”
Kretz told the BBC that while the Danish government had tried to “downplay” the confrontation with Trump, “I sense behind the scenes that this conflict has the potential to become the biggest international crisis for Denmark in modern history.”
The president-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr, paid a brief visit to Greenland on Tuesday in what he described as a “personal day trip” to chat with people.
He then posted a photo of himself with Greenlanders at a bar wearing a pro-Trump hat.
