The geopolitical drama over Greenland has entered a new phase after Europe’s six major NATO countries firmly backed Denmark and Greenland in their dispute with Donald Trump’s USA.
This support came in the form of a joint declaration signed on Tuesday by France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, and the United Kingdom, along with Denmark. The declaration contains two crucial passages.
One passage asserts that only NATO members Denmark and Greenland have the authority to determine their own fate. The other states that security in the Arctic must: »be achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders«.
The essence is unmistakable: If Donald Trump follows through on his threats to take over Greenland, he will plunge the USA into a crisis with its most important European allies. The cost of his imperial ambitions, which Europe has so far met with a stream of more ritualistic protests, has increased.
Alongside Tuesday’s joint declaration, Greenland and Denmark actively sought dialogue with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to open a constructive dialogue about Arctic security.
The USA and Europe can still cooperate. Also on Tuesday, they moved closer on Europe’s other major security issue, the war in Ukraine. The USA appears willing to provide high-tech surveillance for a potential ceasefire, and Europeans, led by France and the United Kingdom, are willing to contribute a peacekeeping force.
Europe has thus practically understood that it must take on a much larger share of its own defense. In both Ukraine and the Arctic.
Is Donald Trump listening? On Tuesday evening, the White House announced that Donald Trump has made it a »national security priority« to take control of Greenland, so there is reason to doubt.
In that case, Europeans must be prepared to follow their strong words with action. Otherwise, they risk being dismissed as empty talk. Europe is a military dwarf but an economic giant that even Trump should not be able to ignore.
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