Speaking ahead of meetings in Washington, DC, starting Monday on the global race for critical raw materials, Frederiksen said there was now an open conflict over Greenland
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said Denmark is facing a “decisive moment” over the future of Greenland after United States President Donald Trump renewed threats to seize the Arctic territory by force.
Speaking ahead of meetings in Washington, DC, starting Monday on the global race for critical raw materials, Frederiksen said there was now an open conflict over Greenland.
“This is a decisive moment,” she said during a debate with other Danish political leaders, adding that the stakes extend far beyond Greenland itself.
In a post on Facebook, Frederiksen said Denmark was “ready to defend our values wherever it is necessary including in the Arctic.” She stressed Denmark’s commitment to international law and the right of peoples to self-determination.
Germany and Sweden voiced support for Denmark following Trump’s latest comments about the self-governing Danish territory.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson criticised what he described as the United States’ “threatening rhetoric” after Trump said Washington would “do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not.”
“Sweden, the Nordic countries, the Baltic states and several major European nations stand with our Danish friends,” Kristersson said at a defence conference in Sälen, attended by NATO’s top US general.
Kristersson warned that a US takeover of mineral-rich Greenland would violate international law and risk encouraging similar actions by other countries.
Germany also reaffirmed its support for Denmark and Greenland ahead of the Washington talks.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met his Icelandic counterpart in Iceland on Monday to discuss what the Foreign Ministry described as the “strategic challenges of the Far North.”
“Security in the Arctic is becoming increasingly important and is part of our shared interests within NATO,” Wadephul said at a joint news conference with Icelandic Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Telegraph newspaper reported on Saturday that military chiefs from the UK and other European countries are preparing contingency plans for a possible NATO mission in Greenland.
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