Greenland row escalates as Danish leader hits out at Trump

A Danish lawmaker accused the Trump administration of risking conflict with an ally over Greenland, rejecting US security claims. Denmark and European leaders reaffirmed Greenland’s sovereignty, saying decisions rest solely with Denmark and Greenland

Washington: US President Donald Trump’s administration is ‘almost starting a war with an allied country’ in its pursuit of Greenland, Danish lawmaker Rasmus Jarlov said.

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“They talk about the United States as the only ones that can protect Greenland, but the fact is that they’re the only ones threatening Greenland,” the Danish parliament member said during an interview to CNN on Tuesday.

Denmark’s ownership of Greenland “may be one of the most well-established ownerships of territory in the world,” Jarlov said.

“It is not disputed by anyone. It has never been disputed by the United States themselves.”

Jarlov noted that the United States already has “exclusive and full military access” to Greenland, calling Trump’s remarks that the United States needs Greenland for defence “complete nonsense.”
The White House on Tuesday reiterated that Greenland would be better protected by the United States, ignoring European leaders’ support for Denmark’s ownership of Greenland.

“President Trump believes Greenland is a strategically important location that is critical from the standpoint of national security, and he is confident Greenlanders would be better served if protected by the United States from modern threats in the Arctic region,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told media outlets in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain and Denmark issued a joint statement: “It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

“Our country isn’t something you can deny or take over because you want to,” Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said Monday in a statement on Facebook.

Trump on Sunday stressed again that the United States ‘absolutely’ needs Greenland ‘for defence,’ reaffirming that Venezuela may not be the last country subject to US intervention, according to The Atlantic.

Greenland, a former Danish colony, was granted home rule in 1979. In 2009, Denmark passed the Act on Greenland Self-Government, expanding the island’s authority over its domestic affairs. However, Denmark retains authority over Greenland’s foreign, defence and security policy, according to information on the website of the Prime Minister’s Office of Denmark.