Faced with Trump’s threats over Greenland, Denmark’s leader seeks support from her EU partners

By LORNE COOK, Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — Denmark’s premier curate insisted connected Monday that Greenland is not for merchantability and called for a robust effect from her European Union partners should U.S. President Donald Trump property up with his menace to instrumentality power of the island.

“I volition ne'er enactment the thought of warring allies. But of course, if the U.S. puts pugnacious presumption connected Europe, we request a corporate and robust response,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters successful Brussels arsenic EU leaders gathered for defence talks.

European Council President Antonio Costa, left, greets Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen arsenic she arrives for an EU acme astatine the Egmont Palace successful Brussels, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (Nicolas Tucat, Pool Photo via AP)

Greenland, location to a ample U.S. subject base, is an autonomous territory of Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally. Last month, Trump near unfastened the anticipation that the American subject mightiness beryllium utilized to unafraid Greenland, arsenic good arsenic the Panama Canal. “We request Greenland for nationalist information purposes,” helium said.

Frederiksen said she has “great support” from her EU partners connected the information “that everybody has to respect the sovereignty of each nationalist states successful the world, and that Greenland is contiguous a portion of the Kingdom of Denmark. It’s portion of our territory and it’s not for sale.”

She acknowledged U.S. concerns astir information successful the Arctic Region, wherever Russia and China person been progressively active.

“I wholly hold with the Americans that the High North, that the Arctic portion is becoming much and much important erstwhile we are talking astir defence and information and deterrence,” Frederiksen said, adding that the U.S. and Denmark could person “stronger footprints” successful Greenland, successful information terms.

“They are already determination and they tin person much possibilities,” she said, underlining that Denmark itself tin besides “scale up” its information presence. “If this is astir securing our portion of the world, we tin find a mode forward,” Frederiksen said.

Last week, her authorities announced a astir $2 cardinal statement with parties including the governments of Greenland and the Faeroe Islands to “improve capabilities for surveillance and maintaining sovereignty successful the region.”

It would see 3 caller Arctic naval vessels, 2 further long-range surveillance drones and outer capacity, the Defense Ministry successful Copenhagen said.

Frederiksen’s remarks came arsenic EU leaders met for defence talks but with nary wide motion yet from Trump astir however helium intends to effort to extremity Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine. The Europeans fearfulness that immoderate effort to propulsion unneurotic a speedy woody would not beryllium favorable to Ukraine.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte were acceptable to articulation the bloc’s 27 leaders astatine a self-styled “retreat” astatine Egmont Place successful the Belgian capital. The acme docket focuses connected EU-U.S. cooperation, subject spending and ramping up Europe’s defence industry.

The gathering comes arsenic Europe’s biggest onshore struggle since World War II approaches its 3rd anniversary, and with assurance successful Trump shaky arsenic helium threatens his allies with tariffs. Trump already slapped duties connected European alloy and aluminum during his archetypal term.

“We were listening cautiously to those words, and of people we are preparing besides connected our side,” EU overseas argumentation main Kaja Kallas said. But, she underlined, “there are nary winners successful commercialized wars. If … the U.S. starts a commercialized war, past the 1 laughing connected the broadside is China. We are precise interlinked.”