In Denmark, they said that Greenland can become independent, but not a US state

Greenland can become independent if its people want it, but it is unlikely to become a US state. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, on Wednesday after the US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out the possibility of using force to take control of the Arctic island. UNN with reference to Reuters.

“We fully recognize that Greenland has its own ambitions. If they materialize, Greenland will become independent, although hardly with ambitions to become a federal state in the United States,” said Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.

He told reporters that the increased US fears about security in the Arctic were justified after the growing activity of Russia and China in the region.

“I don’t think we are in a foreign policy crisis,” he said. “We are open to a dialogue with the Americans about how we can cooperate even more closely than we do now to ensure that American ambitions are realized.”

However, while Denmark itself has played down the seriousness of Trump’s threat to its territory, the returning president’s openly stated ambitions to expand US borders have rattled European allies less than two weeks before he takes office.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barro has said that Europe will not allow other countries to attack its sovereign borders, although he does not believe that the US will invade.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed surprise at Trump’s comments about Greenland and Canada, stressing that European partners unanimously support the inviolability of borders.

Context

Greenland’s leader met the Danish king in Copenhagen on Wednesday, a day after Trump’s remarks thrust the fate of the mineral-rich and strategically important Danish-ruled island into global headlines.

Trump, who takes office on January 20, said on Tuesday that he would not rule out the use of military or economic measures to join Greenland to the United States. On the same day, Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., made a private visit to Greenland.

Greenland, which is part of NATO thanks to Denmark’s membership, is of strategic importance to the US military and its ballistic missile early warning system, as the shortest route from Europe to North America is through the Arctic island.

The president-elect has made it clear that he will pursue a more militant foreign policy that ignores traditional diplomatic formalities.

Greenland, the world’s largest island, has been part of Denmark for 600 years, although its 57,000 people now govern their own internal affairs. The island’s government, led by Prime Minister Mute Egede, seeks future independence.