EU mulling response to Trump’s Greenland threat
The EU has discussed a potential European response if the US follows through on its threat to acquire Greenland, foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said.
US President Donald Trump restated his long-held interest in taking over the autonomous Danish territory shortly after Washington attacked Venezuela last weekend. Copenhagen has said Trump must be taken “seriously when he says he wants Greenland.”
Trump and his administration have been discussing a potential bid to purchase the Arctic island, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, EU foreign policy chief Kallas said “the messages that we hear regarding Greenland are extremely concerning.” She added that European leaders have discussed “if this is a real threat, and if it is, what would be our response.”
While the top diplomat did not elaborate, European policymakers are reportedly considering four main response options to deter potential US action, according to Politico. The first is reaching a compromise where the US gets a symbolic security “win” while Denmark and Greenland preserve their sovereignty. The second is to increase funding for Greenland, making independence under Europe more attractive than a deal with the US. The third is economic retaliation, and the fourth is deploying troops as a deterrent.
On Wednesday, a group of six EU leaders plus the UK issued a joint statement defending Greenland’s status as part of Denmark. The document carefully avoids condemning the US ambition to acquire the territory, instead referring to Washington as an “essential partner” and calling on it to uphold UN principles such as sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The fact that only six out of 27 EU countries signed the statement has led critics to describe the bloc as looking divided and weak on the global stage, unwilling to risk antagonizing the US.
