European allies back Denmark over Trump’s threat to annex Greenland

Six European allies have rallied to support Denmark following renewed US insistence that they have control of Greenland.

“Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide matters affecting their relationship,” the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark said in a joint statement.

On Sunday, Donald Trump said the US “needs” Greenland, a semi-autonomous region of NATO member Denmark, for security reasons.

He has refused to rule out using force to take control of the territory, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Monday that a US attack would mean the end of NATO.

NATO is a transatlantic military grouping where allies must come to each other's aid in the event of an external attack.

The question of Greenland's future has resurfaced following the US military intervention in Venezuela, during which elite troops moved in to capture the country's President Nicolas Maduro and bring him to New York to face drug and weapons charges.

After the raid, Trump said the US would “run” Venezuela for an indefinite period of time.

He also said that the US was returning to the US policy of 1823 dominance in its sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere, and warned a number of countries that the US could turn its attention to.

A US military raid in Venezuela has reignited fears that the US may consider using force to secure control of Greenland.

The day after the raid, Katie Miller — the wife of one of Trump's senior aides — posted a map of Greenland in the colors of the American flag next to the word “SOON” on social media.

Her husband, Stephen Miller, said Monday that “the official position of the U.S. government is that Greenland should be part of the United States.”

In an interview with CNN, he also said that the US “is the strength of NATO. In order for the United States to secure the Arctic region, protect and defend NATO and NATO interests, it is clear that Greenland must be part of the United States.”

Asked repeatedly whether the United States would rule out using force to annex Greenland, Miller responded: “Nobody is going to fight the United States over the future of Greenland.”

Stressing that they have the same interest in Arctic security as the United States, the seven European countries that signed Tuesday's joint statement said this must be achieved by NATO allies, including the United States, “collectively” while “upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.”

Trump said Greenland's inclusion in the United States would serve American security interests because of its strategic location and abundance of minerals critical to high-tech sectors.

Recent move by the Trump administration appoint a special envoy to Greenland caused anger in Denmark.

Greenland, which has a population of 57,000, has had broad self-government since 1979, although defense and foreign policy remain in Danish hands.

Although most Greenlanders favor eventual independence from Denmark, public opinion polls show that the vast majority of Greenlanders oppose joining the United States.

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