Denmark’s prime minister said she was ready to defend every inch of Greenland after Donald Trump revived his plan to take over the island.
On Wednesday, Mette Frederiksen insisted the Danish-owned island was not for sale and that her country was ready to defend Greenland in the event of an attack.
“I heard the US president yesterday, and I think the US position is unfortunately very clear on this topic,” she told journalists at the Nato summit in Ankara. “Our position is as clear, as it has been all through – Greenland is, of course, not for sale.”
She added that Denmark was “ready to defend every inch of Nato, including our own territory” and would rely on Nato allies to honour their commitment to defend each other.
Nato is founded on the principle that its 32 members will defend each other’s territory, not threaten to seize it.
Mette Frederiksen said that the American position was ‘unfortunately very clear’ – Filip Singer/EPA/Shutterstock
Mr Trump reopened old wounds over Greenland on the eve of the meeting by insisting that the US should control the semi-autonomous territory.
“Denmark doesn’t spend money to really help Greenland, but it’s an important part for the US, and it’s surrounded by China ships and Russian ships … [It] should be controlled by the US, not by Denmark,” Mr Trump said.
In response, Ms Frederiksen said: “We hope that all, including all allies, will respect the Greenland people’s right for self-determination. We are sovereign states, and we need everybody to respect our territorial integrity and our sovereignty.
“One of the reasons why we have built Nato many, many years ago, is if anything happens to one of us, then everybody should stand up for each other.”
Kristrún Frostadóttir, Iceland’s prime minister, said Greenland “belongs to the people of Greenland” and called for unity among Nato allies in the face of external dangers.
“We have threats coming from outside the alliance,” said Ms Frostadóttir. “Russia is their biggest threat when it comes to these Nato allies. We need to focus on us and how we stick together.”
A deal to purchase the territory is now the US president’s preferred option to end a long-running dispute with Denmark, The Telegraph reported on Tuesday.
The new position would represent a collapse in talks between the two countries about enhanced security and US access to the island. A source close to the negotiations said Mr Trump had effectively overruled a diplomatic solution, despite some initial progress.
The US president had hoped that there could be a deal that mimicked Britain’s agreement with Cyprus, and that bases on the Arctic island would be considered US territory.
Any row over Greenland threatens to upend the summit in Ankara, putting in danger a fragile transatlantic unity.
The Telegraph understands that European allies and Canada have been encouraged to avoid inflaming any controversies over Mr Trump’s ambitions for the Arctic island.
Norway sought to defuse tensions by arguing that Nato allies are doing a great deal to protect the High North from the security threats the US president has used as his main excuse for seizing Greenland.
