Denmark, Greenland leaders head to Berlin, Paris to shore up support over Trump crisis
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (right) and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen will meet German and French leaders this week.
PHOTO: REUTERS
COPENHAGEN – The prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland said on Jan 27 they would visit Berlin and Paris to shore up support over US President Donald Trump's recent push to take over the Arctic island that has been Danish territory for centuries.
The US demand for control of Greenland has shaken transatlantic relations and accelerated European efforts to reduce dependence on the United States, even as Mr Trump last week withdrew tariff threats and ruled out taking Greenland by force.
Denmark's Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's Jens-Frederik Nielsen will meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Jan 27 and French President Emmanuel Macron on Jan 28, official schedules showed.
France pledges European solidarity
Ms Frederiksen and Mr Nielsen would discuss "the current foreign policy situation and the need for a strengthened Europe" in their meetings, the Danish Prime Minister's office said.
The diplomatic rift between Denmark and the United States, both founding members of NATO, had seemed in recent weeks to threaten the future of the military alliance, although the conflict has since been moved to a diplomatic track.
Mr Macron plans to reaffirm European solidarity and France's support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Denmark and Greenland, the French President's office said in a statement.
"The three leaders will discuss security challenges in the Arctic and the economic and social development of Greenland, which France and the European Union are ready to support," the Elysee statement said.
Ms Frederiksen and Mr Nielsen will also attend the Welt Economic Summit in Germany on Jan 27.
Mr Trump said last week he had secured total and permanent US access to Greenland in a deal with NATO, whose head said allies would have to step up their commitment to Arctic security to ward off threats from Russia and China.
Denmark and Greenland have said they can discuss a wide range of topics with the United States but are demanding respect for their "red lines" on sovereignty and territorial integrity. REUTERS
