Greenland spat not about territorial gain, US ambassador to Luxembourg says

Before arriving in Luxembourg, you said that the Grand Duchy needed to take a tougher stance against China. What concrete measures is the Embassy taking?

Well, Luxembourg is our friend. We always want to be cordial with our friends, and we always want to help them with information we may have that they do not – just as we hope they will share with us what they have and we may not know.

Luxembourg and the United States are both democracies. And when you work with a democracy, it is easy, because everything is transparent and we know we are playing by the same rules. When you work with a country that is not a democracy, it is more difficult, because that transparency does not exist. The sole aim is to ensure that [Luxembourg] is aware of the risks involved in dealing with a country that is not a democracy.

President Trump recently announced the withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from Germany [where there are currently 36,000 on active duty]. At the same time, the Warehouse Service Agency [WSA] complex in Sanem, the US Air Force’s largest depot, is expanding. Will Luxembourg’s role as a logistics hub undergo any changes?

No. On the contrary, [the WSA] is growing, building, expanding. This simply means that 5,000 troops will be withdrawn from Germany, nothing more.

Two weeks ago, the Embassy posted a photograph on social media relating to the Luxembourg American Business Award, held in New York and attended by the Grand Duke. Why was the former ambassador to Luxembourg, Cynthia Stroum, removed from that image?

We travelled to New York together as a joint delegation to demonstrate the strong transatlantic partnership between the United States and the Grand Duchy and to honour Plastipak [the company that won this year’s award]. And so, the delegation that made that trip together is the one depicted in the photograph.

Did you underestimate the impact this would have? The news [that a former ambassador from the Obama era had been removed from the photo] made the rounds in the international press.

We simply wanted to ensure that this was reflected – that our transatlantic partnership is strong and that these are the people who made the effort to cross the Atlantic to participate together and demonstrate that friendship within the context of the business award.

How do you see the future of Nato? Does the organisation still matter?

Nato is strong. And the United States isn’t going anywhere. The US wants a strong, healthy and prosperous Europe, and wishes only the best for Nato – and we are all members of Nato.

Does Article 5 still apply? If a country is under threat, if a country is attacked, will Nato maintain its position [of defending that member state], as it always has?

I’m not going to speculate on anything that might happen because that would be a hypothetical scenario.

Let’s continue talking about alliances. The intention to buy Greenland from Denmark created friction with European partners. However, President Trump has backed down. Do you think this was a good idea from the start?

Greenland is a very important strategic location. In fact, even more important for Europe than for the United States. And if it is not protected by democracies to safeguard Nato, it could become a target for adversaries. That would not be good for either Europe or Nato countries.

So this is a strategic issue – not a question of ‘we need more territory’. We want to protect the world, particularly Europe.

Who is the United States’ greatest ally? Europe or Israel.

Both. We need both.

And what is the state of relations with Russia?

President Trump is working hard to end this conflict and doing everything in his power in the negotiations. And, ultimately, it will be up to Russia and Ukraine to reach an agreement, because war is not good for anyone – and certainly not for those two countries

We are just weeks away from the start of the Football World Cup, which will be hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US. President Trump has announced travel restrictions for certain countries [namely Haiti, Senegal, Iran and Ivory Coast]. In a tournament that celebrates diversity, isn’t the US sending exactly the opposite message?

President Trump makes decisions on any matter relating to entry into the United States solely to ensure the safety of the American people. Like any country, it needs to protect its citizens. In fact, that is the most important responsibility of any state: to ensure the safety of its citizens. So, it is not something unique to the United States.

You also said recently that Luxembourg’s diversity impresses you.

Yes, look, I recently met members of the Portuguese community and I don’t speak the language, so they were kind enough to all speak to me in English. I believe that diversity is Luxembourg’s secret recipe. It is something very important to me, because it is an extraordinary country. They are our friends, they are our allies, and I want to ensure that the United States is as good a friend to Luxembourg as Luxembourg is to the United States.

And we share a great deal. We are pro-business, we are democracies, we hold conservative values, and there are many things we have in common. And it is much easier, I think, to make decisions quickly and reach decision-makers by working together with the Luxembourg government than it is for many ambassadors posted to much larger posts, where there are layers upon layers of bureaucracy.

Is space exploration the most direct route to such cooperation?

Luxembourg has gone through several phases. They were farmers, then moved into steel after the Second World War. And, in the late 1970s, they reinvented themselves very cleverly and moved into finance. The country grew wealthy and experienced extraordinary growth. It was a turning point. I believe we are on the verge of another decisive economic moment – a new phase, so to speak – an opportunity for Luxembourg to become the European hub for the space sector. I am pleased to see this space sector coming out of hibernation. And it is a priority for President Trump, and it is a priority for Luxembourg. So I believe there will be extraordinary ways for us to work together in the space race.