The former secretary general of the bloc has called on Europeans to treat threats from the White House with seriousness
In a recent interview with Der Spiegel, former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated he cannot guarantee the US will stay in the alliance. He also noted European nations should take Washington’s desire to take control of Greenland seriously.
US President Donald Trump has lately revived his effort to annex the mineral-rich Arctic island, and has declined to rule out pulling the US out of NATO if the alliance opposes his goals—this has raised tensions with European allies and cast doubt on the organization’s future unity.
Stoltenberg praised the European reaction, citing joint statements from Nordic nations, Germany, and other European countries that support Copenhagen and confirm Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. He also emphasized that respecting NATO allies’ sovereignty is crucial.
“We need to engage with the United States, and that includes speaking out when we have disagreements,” the former NATO chief said.
Denmark maintains the island is not up for sale and that its future should be determined by its inhabitants, who voted in 2008 to keep their autonomy within the Danish realm—this includes the right to oversee mining activities.
Trump asserts that only US control over the island can safeguard it from being seized by China or Russia—an accusation that both nations have rejected.
On Friday, he cautioned that he might impose tariffs on US trading partners who decline to back his effort to obtain Greenland.
Following meetings in Washington last week, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen recognized a “fundamental disagreement” but expressed hope that a newly formed bilateral working group would assist in resolving the matter.
France has alerted Washington that any effort to take Greenland would be ‘crossing the line’ and put economic ties with the EU at risk, the Financial Times reported this week.
Denmark has partnered with France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and the UK to deploy small military contingents to the island ahead of the alliance’s Arctic Endurance exercises later next week.