The US president-elect has refused to rule out an assault on Greenland, a self-governing Danish island and NATO ally.
Donald Trump has doubled down on his menace to make use of navy drive to take management of Greenland, a self-governing territory belonging to the Kingdom of Denmark, fueling tensions together with his European allies.
Denmark ought to cede the autonomous territory to the United States to “shield the free world”, Trump argued on Tuesday, threatening to impose financial sanctions on the EU member state if it doesn’t achieve this.
His feedback got here as his son, Donald Trump Jr., visited the island accompanied by his father’s high advisers.
Trump’s curiosity in Greenland, the world’s largest island and residential to about 57,000 folks, has been well-known since his first presidency, when he reportedly briefed aides on drawing up plans to buy the island.
The island is a hotbed of vital uncooked supplies and uncommon earths. Melting Arctic ice additionally opens up strategic alternatives for commerce, power and transportation in a area of the world over which geopolitical rivals are vying for affect.
But his current rhetoric does ruffled feathers in Europe, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen countering that “Greenland will not be on the market and won’t be on the market sooner or later.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot warned Trump towards threatening the “sovereign borders” of the European Union.
“The sovereignty of EU member states have to be revered,” the European Commission spokesperson stated he stated on Wednesday.
What is Greenland’s standing throughout the European Union and NATO?
After being a crown territory of Norway and Denmark for hundreds of years, Greenland was formally annexed by Denmark in 1953 and have become a self-governing, self-governing Danish territory in 1979. Its authorities has autonomous legislative energy on quite a lot of points, together with taxes, commerce and justice, however Denmark continues to have a powerful maintain on overseas affairs and territorial protection coverage.
Although Greenland will not be an EU member state, its standing as an EU abroad territory provides it entry to EU funding and freedom of motion for Greenlanders, who’re thought-about EU residents.
The territory can also be lined by the North Atlantic Treaty, that means an assault on Greenland would drive different NATO allies, together with the United States, to intervene in its protection.
Euronews contacted NATO for touch upon President Trump’s statements however has not but acquired a response.
Why is Trump focusing on Greenland?
The president-elect has cited nationwide safety causes for his curiosity within the island, however it’s also seen as a strategic hotbed of essential supplies within the geopolitical race for financial dominance.
Receding ice within the Arctic means probably shorter and sooner commerce routes, in addition to elevated alternatives for oil drilling and mineral extraction.
Greenland’s strategic significance grows in occasions of geopolitical instability, Mikkel Runge Olesen of the Danish Institute for International Studies instructed Euronews.
ANNOUNCEMENT“If relations between world powers are good, notably within the Arctic, Greenland loses strategic worth,” Olesen stated. “Thus, because the United States prepares for additional confrontation with Russia and China, Greenland’s presence turns into extra vital.”
“The US strategic curiosity in Greenland is as a lot about their presence as it’s about denying the presence of their rivals,” he added.
The shortest route from North America to Europe passes by means of the Arctic and Greenland, making it vital for the U.S. ballistic missile early warning system.
Pituffik Space Base, previously referred to as Thule Air Base, in Greenland is the northernmost navy outpost within the United States.
ANNOUNCEMENTHow may Greenland’s present push for independence change issues?
An independence motion has not too long ago been born gained floor in Greenland, strengthened by revelations of misconduct by Danish authorities throughout the earlier century, together with an inadvertent case contraception marketing campaign imposed on Greenlandic girls within the Sixties and Seventies.
Under a 2009 settlement with Denmark, Greenland can maintain a referendum on independence, a prospect Prime Minister Múte Egede hinted at throughout his New Year’s speech final Friday.
“History and present circumstances have proven that our cooperation with the Kingdom of Denmark has did not create full equality,” Egede stated.
While it’s presently unclear whether or not an impartial Greenland might aspire to NATO membership, many consultants level to the instance of Iceland, which turned a NATO member after gaining independence from Denmark.
ANNOUNCEMENTThe potential financial fallout makes independence much less enticing to some: the territory stays closely depending on Danish authorities funding, which quantities to round €600 million a yr.
But the United States might even see a chance to supply financial help to an impartial Greenland in alternate for higher affect over the territory.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen stated on Wednesday that Greenland “can grow to be impartial,” however can’t grow to be an American state.
How may the EU and NATO react if Trump conquered Greenland by drive?
Trump’s rhetoric is especially disruptive because it alludes to the usage of navy drive towards one other NATO member state, Denmark, which the United States is technically obligated to guard underneath the North Atlantic Treaty.
ANNOUNCEMENTWhile tensions between NATO member states will not be unprecedented – the territorial disputes between Greece and Turkey are one instance – Trump’s threats towards Denmark come within the context of rising European issues that his incoming administration could weaken the navy alliance that was so vital in repelling Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine.
EU member states corresponding to Denmark also can activate Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty, referred to as the “mutual help clause”, to drive different member states to come back to their assist when they’re underneath assault.
A European Commission spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday that the island would profit from the clause.
Trump’s rhetoric alone could possibly be sufficient to make European allies uncomfortable. The European bloc itself is nervous about its declining competitiveness in comparison with world opponents and about its personal safety, threatened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
ANNOUNCEMENTAccording to Olesen, the specter of utilizing navy and financial drive to weaken a member state is “greater than only a Danish downside”.
