European Union won't allow attacks on borders, French minister says after Trump's Greenland comments
- France’s foreign minister said Wednesday that the European Union will not tolerate attacks on its borders, following renewed interest from Donald Trump in taking Greenland under U.S. control.
- Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, has stated it has no interest in becoming a part of the United States.
- Greenland’s prime minister is scheduled to meet with the Danish king on Wednesday, in the same week when the king changed his royal coat of arms to include a direct representation of Greenland.
The European Union will not tolerate attacks within its borders, France's foreign minister said on Wednesday in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump's reiterations that bringing Greenland under U.S. control is a "necessity."
In an interview with radio station France Inter, Jean-Noël Barrot said the bloc's 27 member states would never accept any attempts to assault EU territory.
Greenland is an autonomous Danish territory, making it an Overseas Country and Territory, or OCT, associated with the EU.
"There is no question that the European Union would let another nation of the world, whoever it may — and I would even say, starting with Russia — to attack its sovereign borders," Barrot said, according to a CNBC translation. "We are a strong continent, we need to further strengthen ourselves."
CNBC has reached out to the European Union for comment.
Barrot added that he did not believe Washington would launch a physical attack on Greenland.
"If you're asking me whether I think the United States will invade Greenland, the answer is no," he explained. "But have we entered into an era that sees survival of the fittest? The answer is yes."
Also on Wednesday, a German government spokesperson also said that Berlin has taken note of Trump's comments about Greenland.
"As always, the honourable principle of the United Nations Charter and the Helsinki Accords applies, namely that borders must not be moved by force Germany says borders must not be moved by force after Trump statement," they said at a regular news conference, according to Reuters.
While France and Germany have made it plain they stand against the notion of Denmark conceding Greenland to the U.S., one country in the region appears to be backing the president-elect. In Russia, Trump's position on Greenland has garnered positive media coverage, with pro-Kremlin commentators saying it validated Moscow's so-called special military operation in Ukraine.
The comments out of France and Germany come ahead of a meeting between Greenland's prime minister, Múte Egede, and the Danish king in Copenhagen, scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. Danish time. No talks agenda was supplied, but the meeting is being held in the same week that King Frederik updated his royal coat of arms to incorporate details representing Greenland.
The changes were made after renewed calls from the incoming U.S. president that America should bring Greenland, an arctic island with a population of more than 56,000, under U.S. control.
Last month, Trump said on his Truth Social platform that "ownership" of Greenland was crucial for U.S. national and economic security. He first floated the idea of purchasing Greenland from Denmark in 2019, during his first term as president — a notion that was firmly rebuffed by the territory's leadership.
Danish and Greenlandic leaders have again rejected the notion that the island could join the U.S. under a second Trump administration, with Egede reiterating last month, "We are not for sale."
That hasn't stopped Trump's pursuit of the territory. The president-elect has issued threats that economic force could be used to materialize his repeated takeover calls, while his son Donald Trump Jr. landed Tuesday on the island to carry out an unofficial visit.