France's top diplomat fired a warning shot at the bow of President Donald Trump's ship, warning that Europe considers Greenland part of its “sovereign borders” and should be left alone.
As past and future President Donald Trump speak of the importance of the United States acquiring Greenland, the world's largest island and an undeveloped but strategically valuable Arctic region in the North Atlantic, European Leaders are sounding alarm. As President Trump's son flew into Greenland this week on his plane, France's foreign minister implicitly said the idea of the United States buying territory from an ally was morally equivalent to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It seems that he excluded them and claimed that it was an insult to the nation. Sovereign borders.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrault told radio station France Inter that he considers Greenland “a territory of the European Union.” He said the French government's position was that “the possibility of the European Union allowing any other country in the world to attack its own sovereign borders is out of the question.”
President Trump himself has not mentioned the possibility of military action against Greenland, but he said in response to a question from a journalist that he would not rule out any possibility. In fact, Barot said he doesn't actually believe President Trump will use military force against NATO allies, but said such conversations are evidence the world is moving into a less secure era. . He said: “If you ask me if I think the United States will invade Greenland, my answer is no. But have we entered an era of survival of the fittest? Then my answer is yes. ”
Greenland's relationship with the European Union is relatively complex. It joined the European Community along with Denmark in the 1970s and later gained partial independence, known as internal rule. After gaining some control over its own affairs, Greenland's 1982 referendum voted to leave what would become the European Union, citing inconsistencies between Brussels rules and Greenland's domestic interests. was approved.
Therefore, although Greenland is not a member state of the European Union, it is still an overseas territory of Denmark, which is an EU member state, and therefore a member state of the EU. Whether the island could rejoin the EU has been debated sporadically for years, but as it turns out, the original reason for leaving in the first place – that the EU is hurting the country's fishing industry – has fundamentally changed. do not have.
le figaro report French government spokeswoman Sophie Primus also spoke out about the possibility of the US acquiring Greenland, denouncing it as “a form of imperialism”. “Together with our European partners, we must be more careful than ever, move away from forms of naivety, protect ourselves and rearm ourselves,” she told the Council of Ministers on Wednesday. Ta.
Anonymous European Union officials said they were “deeply disturbed by President Trump's comments”. state London strongly supports Brussels financial timessaid Donald Trump Jr.'s visit to Greenland this week convinced many that the future president is really serious about the acquisition, rather than just effective talk.
Donald Trump Jr. arrived in Greenland on Tuesday for a short visit, and during his visit he said anti-American sentiment in Danish media was fake news.
The United States has attempted to purchase Greenland twice before, once in the 19th century and at the end of World War II. In addition to its strategic importance in controlling the North Atlantic (denying access to Russian submarines, which would be vital in case of war), Greenland is also extremely rich in minerals.
