After Trump’s Greenland threat, France said Europe will not allow attack

France has said the EU will not allow other countries to attack its “sovereign borders” after US President-elect Donald Trump refused to use military force to annex Greenland.

On Tuesday, Trump reiterated his desire to regain the autonomous Danish territory, saying it was “critical” to national and economic security.

“There is no doubt that the EU will let other countries in the world attack their sovereign borders, no matter who they are,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told French radio.

Barrot said he does not believe the US is going to invade the vast Arctic island, but he is clear that the EU should not let itself be intimidated.

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

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 on a visit to Copenhagen on Wednesday.

Less than two weeks before he is sworn in for his second term as president, Trump made the remarks in a free-wheeling press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Asked whether he would rule out using military or economic force to seize Greenland or the Panama Canal, Trump said: “No, I can’t assure you on either of those.

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

Greenland has been home to a US radar base since the Cold War and has long been strategically important to Washington.

Trump suggested the island was important to military efforts to track Chinese and Russian ships, saying they were “all over the place”.

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

Speaking to France Inter radio, Barrot said: “If you’re asking 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? The answer is yes.

“So, should we allow ourselves to be frightened and overcome with anxiety, clearly not. We must wake up, build our strength.”

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

However, he stressed that Denmark needs closer cooperation with NATO ally the United States.

Greenland, the world’s largest island but with a population of just 57,000, enjoys broad autonomy, although its economy is largely dependent on subsidies from Copenhagen and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

It also has some of the largest reserves of rare earth minerals, which are important in the manufacturing of batteries and high-tech devices.

Stefan Kratz, senior international correspondent for the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, reporting in Greenland’s capital Nuuk, said most of the people he spoke to were “shocked” by Trump’s suggestion that he seek control over the territory. Can use military force.

While most people in Greenland hold out hope for independence in the future, he said there is widespread recognition that it needs a partner that can provide public services, defense and an economic base, as Denmark now has.

“I have yet to meet anyone in Greenland who dreams of the island becoming a colony of some other outside power such as the United States.”

Kratz told the BBC that while the Danish government had tried to “downplay” any confrontation with Trump, “behind the scenes I have an awareness that this conflict will be the biggest international crisis for Denmark in modern history.” Has the potential to become”.

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

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