France is talking with European allies about how to respond to President Donald Trump‘s continued push for the annexation of Greenland.
French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said protecting Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory under the Kingdom of Denmark, will be discussed in a meeting with German and Polish officials.
“It would make absolutely no sense for a NATO country to go after another NATO country, it would make no sense and above all it would be absolutely contrary to the interests of the United States,” Barrot said to Inter Radio France on Wednesday.
The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and Denmark released a joint statement on Tuesday, saying that any decision on the future Greenland most be made by the people of Denmark and Greenland.
“Security in the Arctic must …be achieved collectively,” they wrote, “by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.”
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Trump has pushed for a U.S. takeover of Greenland for much of his second term. The president has cited national security concerns as a reason for the potential land grab. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers Tuesday that the United States intends to buy Greenland, and Barrot said Rubio assured him what happened in Venezuela will not happen to Greenland.
Nevertheless, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Tuesday, “utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal.”
