A senior French official denounced the “brutalization” of the world by “major powers” during his visit to Greenland over the weekend, in what appeared to be a dig at President and his Arctic ambitions.
From Nuuk, the capital, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated on Sunday that his visit demonstrated “solidarity” and reminded international superpowers that “is not up for grabs” or “for sale.”
“The assurance of peace, prosperity, and democracy is being challenged by the emergence of new empires seeking to substitute cooperation with coercion,” Barrot remarked. “This global brutalization is evident even in the Arctic.”
Barrot, having visited a French military ship docked in Nuuk, also confirmed that will return to Greenland in the fall to begin finalizing a new critical minerals deal established in May, when Nuuk awarded a Danish-French consortium a 30-year mining agreement for the extraction of anorthosite for aluminum production.
While Barrot explicitly referenced Russian President war in Ukraine, he refrained from naming Trump or identifying the U.S. as a primary threat to the European territory. However, his comments followed by just three days Denmark’s summoning of the U.S.’s chief envoy, after reports alleged covert influence operations in Greenland by individuals close to the president.
Trump has encountered extensive criticism regarding his – which is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark – and has declined to rule out military intervention to “acquire” the Arctic nation, which he asserts is strategically vital for security reasons.
“A nation’s greatness cannot be re-established through the subjugation of its neighbors or allies,” Barrot stated. “A nation’s greatness is determined by its contribution to global freedom.”
France, in particular, has defended the Arctic island, with French President traveling to Greenland in June. There, he criticized Trump’s threats and solidified not only Paris’, but Europe’s, resolve that the island’s “territorial integrity must be respected.”
Despite international pushback, Trump appears undeterred in his desire to “acquire” Greenland, and according to a senior administration official, “
“President Trump is dedicated to fostering long-term peace both domestically and internationally,” the official further noted.
Barrot stated, “My visit conveys a message: Greenland and Denmark are not isolated – Europe and France stand with them today and in the future.”
“Greenland is an Arctic territory, it is a European territory. We are part of the same family,” he concluded.