Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned US President Donald Trump that any American “takeover” of Greenland would amount to the end of the NATO military alliance.
Her comments on Monday came in response to Trump’s renewed call for the strategic, mineral-rich Danish autonomous island to come under US control in the aftermath of the military operation in Venezuela.
“If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops. That is, including our NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War,” Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster TV2.
The dead-of-night operation by US forces in Caracas to capture leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife on Saturday left the world stunned, and heightened concerns in Denmark and Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of the Danish kingdom and thus part of NATO.
Apart from Frederiksen, her Greenlandic counterpart, Jens Frederik Nielsen, blasted the US President’s comments and warned of catastrophic consequences.
What the Greenland PM said on Trump’s threats
Greenland Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen, in a news conference on Monday, said Greenland cannot be compared to Venezuela.
“We are not in a situation where we think that there might be a takeover of the country overnight, and that is why we are insisting that we want good cooperation. The situation is not such that the United States can simply conquer Greenland,” he said, urging his constituents to stay calm and united.
Earlier, in a Facebook post, Nielsen said he has had “enough” with Trump’s threats and asserted that Greenland “is our home”, and that’s how it “continues to be”.
“This is enough now. No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation. We are open to dialogue. We are open to discussions. However, this must occur through the proper channels and in accordance with international law. Greenland is our home and our territory. And that’s how it continues to be,” the head of Greenland’s government wrote on Sunday.
Donald Trump’s stance on Greenland
Donald Trump has repeatedly called for US jurisdiction over Greenland during his presidential transition and the early months of his second term, and has not ruled out the use of military force to take control of the island.
His latest comments on Sunday, including telling reporters, “let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days”, further deepened fears that the US was planning an intervention in Greenland in the near future.
Trump also mocked Denmark’s efforts at boosting Greenland’s national security, saying the Danes have added “one more dog sled” to the Arctic territory’s arsenal.
“It’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump had told reporters Sunday as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida.
He added: “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”