‘We are ready to defend our values’: Denmark PM warns of ‘decisive moment’ as Trump hints at force over Greenland

Speaking ahead of meetings in Washington on the global competition for key raw materials, Frederiksen stressed that the issue carries broader implications.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Sunday said her country is facing a decisive moment in its diplomatic standoff over Greenland after US President Donald Trump again suggested the possible use of force to take control of the Arctic territory.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen(AP)

Speaking ahead of meetings in Washington starting Monday on the global competition for key raw materials, Frederiksen said “there is a conflict over Greenland,” stressing that the issue carries implications far beyond the island itself.

“This is a decisive moment,” she said during a debate with other Danish political leaders, AFP reported.

In a Facebook post, Frederiksen said Denmark was prepared to stand firm: “we are ready to defend our values - wherever it is necessary - also in the Arctic. We believe in international law and in peoples' right to self-determination.”

Germany, Sweden voiced supports for Denmark

Germany and Sweden voiced support for Denmark following Trump’s renewed comments about the self-governing Danish territory. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson criticised what he called US “threatening rhetoric” after Trump said Washington was “going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not”.

“Sweden, the Nordic countries, the Baltic states, and several major European countries stand together with our Danish friends,” Kristersson told a defence conference in Salen attended by NATO’s top US commander.

Kristersson warned that a US takeover of Greenland would be “a violation of international law and risks encouraging other countries to act in exactly the same way”.

Germany also reiterated its backing for Denmark and Greenland ahead of the Washington talks. Before meeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadehpul was due to hold discussions in Iceland on the “strategic challenges of the Far North”.

“The legitimate interests of all NATO Allies, as well as those of the inhabitants of the (Arctic) region, must be at the centre of our discussions,” Wadehpul said. He earlier told Bild that “it is clear that it is exclusively up to Greenland and Denmark to decide questions of Greenland's territory and sovereignty”.

German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said: “We are strengthening security in the Arctic together, as NATO allies, and not against one another.”

Response of seven European countries

European governments have moved to coordinate their response after the White House confirmed this week that Trump wanted to buy Greenland and did not rule out military action.

On Tuesday, leaders from seven European countries, including France, Britain, Germany and Italy, signed a letter stating that it is “only” for Denmark and Greenland to decide the island’s future.

Trump argues that control of Greenland is vital for US national security because of increased Russian and Chinese military activity in the Arctic.

NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Alexus Grynkewich told the Swedish conference that alliance members were discussing Greenland’s status. He said there was “no immediate threat” to NATO territory but warned the Arctic’s strategic importance is rapidly increasing.

Grynkewich said he would not comment on “the political dimensions of recent rhetoric” but confirmed that talks were taking place at the North Atlantic Council. “Those dialogues continue in Brussels. They have been healthy dialogues from what I've heard,” he said.

Greenland, a Danish colony until 1953, gained home rule in 1979 and has been debating whether to further loosen its ties with Denmark. Polls show most Greenlanders oppose a US takeover.

While Grynkewich repeated that “I don't think there's an immediate threat to NATO territory right now,” he noted that Russian and Chinese vessels have been seen operating together near Russia’s northern coast and around Alaska and Canada, as melting ice opens greater access to the Arctic.