European allies craft response plan should US act on Greenland move

Allies including France and Germany are working closely on a plan on how to respond should the United States act on its threat to take over Greenland, as Europe seeks to address US President Donald Trump's ambitions in the region.

A US military seizure of Greenland from a longtime ally, Denmark, would send shock waves through the NATO alliance and deepen the divide between Trump and European leaders.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the subject would be raised at a meeting with the foreign ministers of Germany and Poland later in the day.

"We want to take action, but we want to do so together with our European partners," he said on France Inter radio.

 

A German government source said separately that Germany was "closely working together with other European countries and Denmark on the next steps regarding Greenland".

A senior European official said Denmark must lead the effort to coordinate a response, but "the Danes have yet to communicate to their European allies what kind of concrete support they wish to receive," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Leaders from major European powers and Canada have rallied behind Greenland this week, saying the Arctic island belongs to its people, following a renewed threat by Trump to take over the territory.

Johannes Koskinen, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Finland's parliament, called for the issue to be raised at NATO.

NATO allies should "address whether something needs to be done and whether the United States should be brought into line in the sense that it cannot disregard jointly agreed plans in order to pursue its own power ambitions," he said.

The next North Atlantic Council meeting is scheduled for Thursday.

TRUMP REVIVES TAKEOVER PUSH

Trump has in recent days repeated that he wants to gain control of Greenland, an idea first voiced in 2019 during his first presidency. He argues the island is key for US military strategy and claims Denmark has not done enough to protect it.

The White House said on Tuesday that Trump was discussing options for acquiring Greenland, including potential use of the US military, in a revival of his ambition to control the strategic island, despite European objections.

Barrot suggested a US military operation had been ruled out by Washington's top diplomat.

"I myself was on the phone with the Secretary of State yesterday (...), he discarded the idea that what just happened in Venezuela could happen in Greenland," he said.

A US military operation over the weekend that seized the leader of Venezuela had already rekindled concerns that Greenland might face a similar scenario.

A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said this week that Trump and his advisers were discussing a variety of ways to acquire Greenland, including a purchase. Greenland and Denmark have said the island is not for sale.