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The EU Commission will continue to be “in solidarity” with Denmark and Greenland.
This is stated by spokesperson for the EU Commission Anitta Hipper after new threats from the US president about taking over Greenland.
“We have made our position very clear. The EU will continue to uphold the principles of national sovereignty, territorial integrity, the inviolability of borders, and the UN Charter. These are universal principles. We will not stop defending them,” says Anitta Hipper on behalf of the EU Commission.
In doing so, the EU Commission confirms the line it has taken during the soon year-long confrontation between Trump on one side and Denmark and Greenland on the other.
“We are in close contact with Denmark, and we will continue to support Denmark throughout the process,” says Anitta Hipper.
The statements come after the US president, Donald Trump, in the night to Monday refused to answer whether he expects to take action regarding Greenland.
On board the presidential plane Air Force One, Trump was asked by a journalist whether he expects to “take action” against Greenland.
“I don’t want to talk about Greenland. I want to talk about Venezuela, Russia, Ukraine,” Trump replies. “We will worry about Greenland in about two months. Let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days,” says Trump on board the presidential plane Air Force One.
It is not clear why Trump mentions these specific points in time.
After dismissing the journalist’s question, the president nevertheless went on to talk about Greenland. “But I would like to say this about Greenland: We need Greenland for reasons of the national security situation,” says Trump.
“Right now there are Chinese and Russian ships everywhere in Greenland. We need Greenland for reasons of national security. Denmark will not be able to handle the task. The EU needs us to get it (Greenland, ed.). And they know that,” adds the American president.
It was during Trump’s first presidential term in 2019 that he first began to talk about American ownership of Greenland.
He has raised the issue at regular intervals since he was elected in November to his second term.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) called on the USA to stop the threats.
“I have to say this very directly to the USA,” stated the prime minister, and continued: “The USA has no right to annex one of the three countries in the Kingdom of Denmark.”
In her statement, Mette Frederiksen underlined that the Kingdom of Denmark – and thereby Greenland – is part of NATO and thus covered by the alliance’s security guarantee.
“We already have a defense agreement between the kingdom and the USA that gives the USA wide access to Greenland. And from the kingdom’s side we have invested significantly in security in the Arctic,” she stated.
Denmark’s Nordic neighbors Sweden, Norway, and Finland came out on Sunday with support for Denmark.
On Monday, both Germany and France stated, with reference to Greenland, that “borders must not be changed by force.”