Amid increasing concerns that Greenland, a vast Arctic territory ruled by Denmark, is still being coveted by the Trump administration, the Danish prime minister has delivered a stark warning to the White House.
In nationally televised remarks, Mette Frederiksen reminded Danes that she had already “made it very clear where the Kingdom of Denmark stands, and that Greenland has repeatedly said that it does not want to be part of the United States.”
But she also warned of the consequences of US military action to seize Greenland – something US President Donald Trump has pointedly refused to rule out.
“First of all, I think you have to take the US president seriously when he says he wants Greenland,” Frederiksen said, reflecting heightened anxiety about Trump’s intentions in the aftermath of his extraordinary military action in Venezuela.
“But I also want to make it clear that if the US chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, everything stops, including NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of World War II,” she added.
A Danish lawmaker has described US President Donald Trump’s latest comment about how the US needs Greenland as “very frankly stupid.”
Here’s what Anders Vistisen, who is a member of the European Parliament, told CNN’s Erin Burnett:
‘Frankly stupid,’ Danish lawmaker says of Trump’s latest comments on Greenland
It is a serious and widely shared concern among NATO allies that the Greenland issue has the potential not only to anger and humiliate a longtime US partner, but also to fracture the Western military alliance as pressure from Washington escalates.
Late last night White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller reiterated those claims that “Greenland should be part of the United States,” but he rejected that military force would be necessary to acquire it.
“Nobody’s gonna fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland,” Miller said on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper.”
When pressed whether military intervention is off the table, Miller instead questioned Denmark’s claim over the Arctic territory.
You can read the full analysis here.