France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement on Tuesday expressing their support for Denmark in response to US President Donald Trump's claims regarding Greenland.
In a joint statement with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Tuesday, the leaders of six major European countries made it clear that only Denmark and Greenland can decide on the future of the autonomous region.
"Greenland belongs to its people. It is up to Denmark and Greenland, and only them, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland," the European leaders said in the statement.
In addition to Frederiksen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also signed the statement.
Universal principles
The démarche is a response to Trump's new claims on Greenland, an autonomous region that officially belongs to the Kingdom of Denmark. According to Trump, the United States "needs" the area "from a national security standpoint."
He pointed out that it is teeming with Russian and Chinese ships.
In the statement, the European leaders emphasise that security in the Arctic is also an absolute priority for them. However, Denmark, including Greenland, is part of NATO, and security in the region must therefore be "achieved collectively, in cooperation with NATO allies, including the United States."
According to the European leaders, this cooperation must be based on the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders. "These are universal principles, and we will not cease to defend them," they said.
