Several European allies have rallied to support Denmark following Trump’s insistence that the U.S. must have control over Greenland.
On Sunday, Trump said that the United States needs Greenland for security reasons and has failed to rule out military force to take control of the area. But, leaders from several European countries have issued a statement about the country’s sovereignty.
“Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations,” the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark said in a joint statement.
Mette Fredericksen, Prime Minister of Denmark, warned that a US attack on the country would result in the end of NATO, a sentiment that other European leaders echoed shortly after Trump insisting that the US “needs” Greenland.
“Security in the Arctic must be … achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies including the United States by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders,” the leaders wrote.
However, Stephen Miller, a Trump aide, said on Monday that the United States “is the power of NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region, to protect and defend NATO and NATO interests, obviously Greenland should be part of the US.” He also said that it is the formal position of the United States government that Greenland should be a part of the US.
On Tuesday, the Arctic country’s government requested a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio to address the statements made by Trump and other members of the Trump administration.
Although Trump mentioned taking over the country early in his second term, his rhetoric regarding the matter died down until the capture of Venezuelan President Maduro and Cilia Flores, his wife. The attack killed an 80-year-old woman, Rosa Elena Gonzalez in Catia La Mar as she slept and injured or displaced several other residents.
Trump called the attack “perfectly executed.”
Soon after, Trump rattled off a list of sovereign nations that he would like to take action against to fulfill the “Donroe Doctrine,” his version of the 1823 Monroe Doctrine. The Monroe Doctrine was used to justify United States imperialism through occupations across Latin America in the 19th and 20th centuries.
“Under our new national security strategy, American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again,” Trump said Saturday at a press conference following the attack on Venezuela.
