Europe will not allow attacks, says France, after Trump Greenland threat

France said the European Union would not allow other countries to attack its “sovereign borders”, after US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out the use of military force to seize the Greenland.

On Tuesday, Trump reiterated his desire to acquire the autonomous Danish territory, calling it “critical” for national and economic security.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told French radio “there is obviously no doubt that the European Union would let other nations around the world attack its sovereign borders, whatever they may be.” .

Barrot said he did not believe the United States would invade the vast Arctic island, but he made clear the EU should not be intimidated.

It is difficult to imagine how the European Union could prevent any potential attack. The EU has no defensive capabilities of its own and most of its 27 member states are part of the US-led NATO alliance.

Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in purchasing Greenland, having floated the idea during his first term as president.

Denmark, a longtime US ally, has made clear that Greenland is not for sale and belongs to its people.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede is pushing for independence and has also made it clear that the territory is not for sale. He was visiting Copenhagen on Wednesday.

Trump made the remarks during a freewheeling press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, less than two weeks before he is sworn in for his second term as president on January 20.

Asked if he would rule out the use of military or economic force to seize Greenland or the Panama Canal, Trump replied: “No, I can’t guarantee you on either one. ‘other.

“But I can say this, we need it for our economic security.”

Greenland has been home to a US radar base since the Cold War and has long been of strategic importance to Washington.

Trump suggested the island was crucial to military efforts to track Chinese and Russian ships, which he said are “everywhere.”

“I’m talking about protecting the free world,” he told reporters.

Speaking to France Inter radio, Barrot said: “If you ask me if I think the United States will invade Greenland, my answer is no.

“Have we entered an era that sees the return of survival of the fittest? So the answer is yes.

“So should we let ourselves be intimidated and overwhelmed by worry, that’s clearly not the case. We need to wake up, get our strength back.”

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Danish television on Tuesday that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders” and only the local population can determine its future.

However, she stressed that Denmark needed close cooperation with NATO allies the United States.

Greenland MP Kuno Fencker told the BBC that people were bracing for “some bold statements” from Trump, but that the island’s “sovereignty and self-determination are non-negotiable.”

Fencker, whose Siumut party is part of Greenland’s governing coalition, said local authorities would welcome “constructive dialogue and a mutually beneficial partnership with the United States and other countries.”

He did not rule out a free association including both Denmark and the United States, but said that “this is a decision that the people of Greenland must make, it is not the decision of a single politician “.

Greenland has only 57,000 inhabitants and enjoys a large degree of autonomy, although its economy depends largely on subsidies from Copenhagen and it is still part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

It also has some of the largest deposits of rare earth minerals, essential for manufacturing batteries and high-tech devices.

Steffen Kretz, senior international correspondent for the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, who reported from Greenland’s capital Nuuk, said most people he spoke to were “shocked” by Trump’s suggestion that he could use military force to take control of territory.

While a majority of Greenland’s population hopes for independence in the future, he said it was widely recognized that Greenland needed a partner who could provide public services, defense and an economic base , as Denmark currently does.

“I have yet to meet anyone in Greenland who dreams of the island becoming a colony for another external power like the United States.”

Kretz told the BBC that although the Danish government had sought to “downplay” any confrontation with Trump, “behind the scenes I feel this conflict has the potential to become the biggest international crisis in modern history for the Denmark.”

The president-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr., made a brief visit to Greenland on Tuesday, in what he described as a “personal day trip” to talk to people.

He then posted a photo with a group of Greenlanders at a bar wearing pro-Trump hats.