Greenland’s government said on Monday it will increase its efforts to ensure that the defence of the Arctic territory takes place under the auspices of NATO, and again rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambition to take over the island.
Trump has said the United States must own Greenland, an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
“All NATO member states, including the United States, have a common interest in the defence of Greenland,” the island’s coalition government said in a statement.
The European Union’s Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius warned on Monday that a U.S. military takeover of Greenland would be the end of NATO.
“I agree with the Danish prime minister that it will be the end of NATO, but also among people it will be also very, very negative,” Kubilius said, adding that he did not think a U.S. military invasion was coming but that the European Union Treaty article 42.7 obliged member states to come to Denmark’s assistance if it was faced with military aggression.
“It will depend on very much on Denmark, how they will react, what will be their position, but definitely there is such an obligation of member states to come for mutual assistance if another member state is facing military aggression,” he said.
Kubilius questioned the rationale of occupying Greenland by force and warned that it would have impacts on all aspects of the relations between Europe and the United States.
This comes as Denmark and the U.S., both NATO members, are scheduled to meet this week to discuss Greenland.
