Macron visits Greenland to show European support for strategic Arctic island
Mr Macron reiterated his criticism of Mr Trump's intention to take control of the territory.
'I don't think that's something to be done between allies,' he said as he was greeted at the Nuuk airport by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
'It's important to show that Denmark and Europe are committed to this territory, which has very high strategic stakes and whose territorial integrity must be respected,' Mr Macron said.
He was making a stop on his way to a summit of the Group of Seven leading industrialised nations in Canada that will also be attended by Mr Trump.
Mr Macron, who is visiting Greenland for the first time, said: 'It means a lot to me … to convey a message of friendship and solidarity from France and the European Union to help this territory face the different challenges: economic development, education, as well as the consequences of climate change.'
In a speech last week at the UN Ocean Conference, Mr Macron also mentioned Greenland and the deep seas, saying they are not 'up for grabs' in remarks that appeared directed largely at Mr Trump.
Mr Macron, in recent months, has sought to reinvigorate France's role as the diplomatic and economic heavyweight of the 27-nation European Union.
The French president has positioned himself as a leader in Europe amid Mr Trump's threats to pull support from Ukraine as it fights against Russia's invasion.
Mr Macron hosted a summit in Paris with other European heads of state to discuss Kyiv, as well as security issues on the continent.
Sunday's visit will also be the occasion to discuss how to enhance relations between the EU and Greenland further when it comes to economic development, low-carbon energy transition and critical minerals.
The leaders will also have exchanges on efforts to curb global warming, according to Mr Macron's office.
Later Sunday, Mr Macron, Mr Frederiksen and Mr Nielsen held a meeting on a Danish helicopter carrier, showing France's concerns over security issues in the region.
Last week, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to acknowledge that the Pentagon has developed plans to take over Greenland and Panama by force if necessary, but refused to answer repeated questions during a hotly combative congressional hearing on Thursday about his use of Signal chats to discuss military operations.
Mr Hegseth's comments were the latest controversial remarks made by a member of the Trump administration about the Arctic island.
The president himself has said he won't rule out military force to take over Greenland, which he considers vital to American security in the high north.
The Wall Street Journal last month reported that several high-ranking officials under the US director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, had directed intelligence agency heads to learn more about Greenland's independence movement and sentiment about US resource extraction there.
Mr Nielsen said that US statements about the island have been disrespectful and that Greenland 'will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
14 minutes ago
- The Guardian
G7 summit on wildfire watch for Trumpian explosions in Canada
A bright spark in the Canadian team preparing the G7 Kananaskis summit, in the ridiculously beautiful Canadian Rockies, decided to insert the issue of wildfires onto a crowded agenda. It seemed an eminently sensible and Canadian thing for the eminently sensible Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, to do. After all there are currently an estimated 225 blazes in Canada, including 120 classified as out of control, and they are raging to the west in British Columbia across to northern parts of Alberta. Indeed it is likely to be Canada's second worst year on record for wildfires. Moreover, Carney had an ingenious solution ready to hand – a Kananaskis wildfire charter including 'greater equipment interoperability' between the G7 members. But unfortunately wildfires were already on the G7 agenda, albeit in an altogether broader, even more existential sense. Not only was the world ablaze, but the human flame-thrower better known as the president of the United States would be in attendance and this would mean the whole two and a half days would leave Carney on one long wildfire watch. Equipment interoperability might not be enough if Trump suddenly ignited. The prospect of Trumpian explosions, fire alarms going off and spontaneous combustion understandably haunted the host's planning. After all, It was Carney's task as much as possible to make this annual showcase of western resolve and shared values appear as coherent as possible. The last time Trump attended a G7 summit hosted by Canada he arrived late, insulted his host Justin Trudeau as weak, and then left the summit for Singapore, dispatching a message from Air Force One dissociating himself and the US from a painfully negotiated 28-point communique. Trudeau had been impudent enough to criticise Trump's trade tariffs, Trump had discovered. It was one of the most disastrous conclusions to a G7 in the institution's storied 50 years. Carney faced a dilemma in how to prevent a repetition. He had just been elected prime minister by standing up to Trump. He could hardly treat Trump's visit as some kind of homecoming to the 51st state. Nor could he or other members of the G7 pretend they did not resent the unresolved trade tariffs the president had imposed. Carney's solution is to let the issue of G7 members trade deals be handled primarily in bilateral talks, and to make the main agenda as consensual as possible. With the kind of tact only a former central bank governor can muster, Carney has decided to try to minimise the threat of drama by constructing a mildly Canadian, deeply earnest, even soporific, agenda. Carney's chosen topics for the summit are critical mineral supply chains, energy security, disinformation on the internet and, if things are becoming a little too animated, the global economic outlook and reform of the World Trade Organization. A discussion on 'anti-market practices by large, non-G7 economies' – code for China – was promised by the Carney team. Not even Trump would be able to stage a walk out over quantum computing. There would be no ambitious joint communique since that would be a wildfire attractant. But for some experienced Trump watchers the Carney fireproof plan may yet fail. First, Trump is easily bored. Everything has to happen SOON, or IMMEDIATELY. He likes to leave the world on tenterhooks; a deal is CLOSE or MAY NEVER HAPPEN. Above all, he likes to be the centre of attention and in none of these sessions, except for the one on artificial intelligence, was the president likely to be a lead character. When Trump gets bored he gets restless, and starts idly to play with matches. To liven things up, as a recent article in the Atlantic pointed out, he will fire off ill-tempered social-media posts, broadsides at policymakers, or premature declarations of victory, normally over an ally. Sign up to First Thing Our US morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Second, Carney knows, given the world is being remade in front of the G7 leaders' eyes, harsh reality could not be kept from the entire summit. At some point the only superpower in the room will be required to explain, in more than a tweet or a press conference aside, if he feels he has a duty to use diplomatic leverage over his allies in Moscow and Jerusalem, or is content to let events play out, with all the consequent and avoidable misery. Even the president of the United States can be made accountable sometimes.
The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ukraine's Zelenskyy visits Austria for first time since Russia's full-scale invasion of his country
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting Austria on Monday in his first trip to the European Union member country since Russia 's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Austria is famously neutral — a stance it declared in 1955 after World War II — and Vienna has come under heavy criticism since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war for maintaining ties with Moscow. Ukraine's air force said Russia fired 138 strike and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, mainly at the eastern Donetsk region. Of those, 125 were either intercepted or jammed, while 10 reached their targets. Eight others caused damage as falling debris. Zelenskyy was scheduled to meet with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Christian Stocker, and the two presidents were set to hold a news conference later Monday. This is Stocker's first high-profile visit from a foreign dignitary since he took office in March at the head of a previously untried three-party coalition after a record five-month wait for a new administration. Zelenskyy's wife, First Lady Olena Zelenska, and Doris Schmidauer, Van der Bellen's spouse, will also host a discussion about the role of women in promoting peace and security during the trip. Austria, which was annexed by Nazi Germany in the run-up to World War II, declared neutrality after the war under pressure from Western allies and the Soviet Union. It sought a role as a mediator between East and West, developing ties with Moscow that outlasted the Cold War. The Austrian government has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine but also stressed the need to maintain diplomatic relations with Moscow. Vienna has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine but no weapons. Former Chancellor Karl Nehammer was the first EU leader to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face after the war started. Nehammer traveled to Moscow in April 2022 in a fruitless attempt to persuade the Russian leader to end the invasion.
Sky News
35 minutes ago
- Sky News
Israel-Iran live: Eight killed in Israel as Iron Dome breached; Iran threatens to leave key nuclear treaty
Iran and Israel have exchanged attacks for a fourth night, with Iranian rockets killing at least eight in central Israel and explosions reported in Tehran. Iran's intelligence chief has been reported dead. Follow the latest here and listen to Trump 100 as you scroll.
