French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen upon her arrival for the Coalition of the Willing summit at the Elysee Palace in Paris Tuesday. The two, along with five other European leaders, issued a joint statement against President Donald Trump’s stated plans to annex Greenland. Photo by Teresa Suarez/EPA
A group of seven European leaders issued a joint statement on Greenland rebuking President Donald Trump for his comments on annexing the island, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
After the United States invaded Venezuela on Saturday, Trump told The Atlantic on Sunday that the United States needs Greenland for national security. The Venezuela action also renewed fears that Trump may actually move to take Greenland.
“NATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority, and European Allies are stepping up. We and many other Allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries. The Kingdom of Denmark — including Greenland — is part of NATO,” the statement said.
On Air Force One, Trump told reporters he would talk about Greenland “in 20 days.” He then mocked Greenland and Denmark.
“You know what Denmark did recently to boost security in Greenland? They added one more dog sled. It’s true. They thought that was a great move,” Trump said.
“Right now, Greenland is full of Chinese and Russian ships everywhere. We need Greenland for national security reasons. Denmark will not be able to handle the task.”
Trump’s rise in Greenland rhetoric has prompted leaders to speak out.
On Monday, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told Trump to let go of his “fantasies of annexation.”
“Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the U.N. Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders,” the statement from European leaders said. “These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them.
The following leaders issued the statement: President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Friederich Merz of Germany, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, Prime Minister Donald Franciszek Tusk of Poland, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
They are in Paris for a meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing” to discuss Ukraine security.
“The United States is an essential partner in this endeavor, as a NATO ally and through the defense agreement between the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States of 1951.
“Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”
Outgoing Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., called the European statement “embarrassing for the U.S.” on X.
“Denigrating our Allies serves no purpose and there is NO upside,” Bacon said. “It weakens us by diminishing trust between friends, and Russia and China love it. So … stop the stupid ‘we want Greenland BS.'”
Two other American congresspeople spoke out against the president’s rhetoric Tuesday.
Representatives Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., and Blake Moore, R-Utah, co-chairs of the Congressional Friends of Denmark Caucus, released a statement on Greenland and Denmark Monday.
“If the message is that ‘we need Greenland,’ the truth is that we already have access to everything we could need from Greenland. If we want to deploy more forces or build additional missile defense infrastructure in Greenland, Denmark has given us a green light to do so. Our ally has always accommodated us. Threatening to annex Greenland needlessly undermines that cooperation for no gain,” Hoyer and Moore said in the statement. “Russia, China, and other authoritarian regimes around the world are yearning for conquest. The last thing America needs is a civil war among NATO that endangers our security and our way of life.”
Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller, told CNN that “obviously Greenland should be part of the U.S.” because of the island’s importance in helping Washington be “the power of NATO.”
“The real question is, what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland?” he said. “Nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over Greenland,” Miller added.
Greenland has been connected to Denmark for nearly 650 years.
Miller’s wife, podcaster Katie Miller, posted an image of Greenland overlaid with an American flag with the words “SOON” on X on Saturday.
