Germany and France warn Trump cannot use force to take over Greenland

Donald Trump's territorial expansionist ambitions have been met with skepticism and derision on the international stage. Germany and France have issued strong warnings to US President-elect Donald Trump after he suggested he could use military force or economic tariffs to seize control of the Danish-administered territory of Greenland. The European leaders' reactions reflect deep concerns about international law and the inviolability of borders.

According to the British daily The Guardian, in a televised statement, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed that Trump's remarks had caused "misunderstanding" among European leaders. Olaf Scholz said: "The principle of the inviolability of borders applies to all states, regardless of their size or power."

The quoted source also shows that French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated on France Inter radio that Europe would firmly defend international law: "The European Union will not allow anyone to threaten the sovereign borders of its member states." Barrot added that while he did not believe the US would "invade" Greenland, "we have entered an era that sees the return of the law of the strongest."

For his part, Antony Blinken, the current US Secretary of State, said that "the idea expressed by Trump about Greenland is obviously not a good one, but what is more important is that we will not witness an annexation, so we should not waste time on this subject."

British journalists also note that Denmark, through its Foreign Minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, has adopted a moderate position, rejecting any threat of force or coercion, but opening the way for dialogue. Rasmussen said that Greenland, although part of the Kingdom of Denmark, has its own political aspirations, suggesting that independence could be the next logical step.

"If Greenland's aspirations materialize, independence could become a reality, but without the ambition to become a federal state of the United States," Lokke said.

The source cited mentions that, despite these reactions, the son of the president-elect, Donald Trump Jr., made a trip to Greenland in recent days. According to the New York Times, the son of the president-elect landed in the capital of Greenland, Nuuk, visited several attractions, including a statue of an 18th-century Danish-Norwegian missionary, and was hosted by a Danish supporter of Donald Trump. He said the reason for the trip was personal, not official, but the president-elect made a post about the visit with the caption "MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN." According to The Guardian, Donald Trump Jr. said after a visit to Greenland: "These are people who feel they have been exploited. They have not been treated fairly by Denmark. They are being prevented from exploiting their natural resources, whether it is coal, uranium, rare earths, gold or diamonds. It is a really great place."

Aki-Matilda Hoegh-Dam, the Greenlandic MP representing the Siumut party in the Danish parliament, told The Guardian that Donald Trump's statements should be seen as "directed more towards Panama than Greenland", but she did not deny that the island's geopolitical importance is currently growing.

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