Prepare Response

France, Germany Prepare Response As Trump Renews Greenland Threat

By Ranu Joardar

Previously, the European leaders reaffirmed their support for Denmark after US President again hinted at taking control of Greenland, Denmark’s autonomous Arctic territory.

Amid Donald Trump’s threat to acquire Greenland, France and Germany along with their European allies have started working on how to respond if the US acts on its threat.

The White House has recently confirmed that the Trump administration is actively discussing options to acquire the Arctic island and using the US military is “always an option".

Trump’s focus on gaining the autonomous Danish territory in the Arctic was reignited by the US military intervention in Venezuela. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States," to deter adversaries like Russia and China.

Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory with a population of about 57,000, holds untapped rare earth deposits and sits on key polar routes that could become strategically important as ice melts. It also lies on the shortest missile route between Russia and the United States and hosts a US military base.

It has repeatedly rejected the idea of becoming part of the United States. Denmark has also made clear in the past that the island is not for sale.

On Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said: “We want to take action, but we want to do so together with our European partners."

Reuters quoted Barrot suggesting that a US military operation had been ruled out by Washington’s top diplomat.

“I myself was on the phone yesterday with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (…) who confirmed that this was not the approach taken … he ruled out the possibility of an invasion (of Greenland)," he said.

Reuters quoted a a German government source saying separately that Germany was “closely working together with other European countries and Denmark on the next steps regarding Greenland".

Previously, the leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark issued a joint statement saying that sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders are “universal principles, and we will not stop defending them".

The leaders underlined that Arctic security is a “key priority for Europe and it is critical for international and transatlantic security."

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

The joint statement was signed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.