Macron criticises Trump's threats to annex Greenland during visit
French President Emmanuel Macron (centre) is welcomed by Danish PM Mette Frederiksen (left) and Greenlandic PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen as he arrives at Nuuk Airport in Nuuk, Greenland. PHOTO: AFP
NUUK - French President Emmanuel Macron on June 15 criticised US President Donald Trump's threats to annex Greenland, as he made a visit to the Danish autonomous territory.
'That's not what allies do,' Mr Macron said as he arrived in Nuuk, Greenland's capital.
Mr Macron is the first foreign head of state to visit the vast territory – at the crossroads of the Atlantic and the Arctic – since Mr Trump's annexation threats.
Mr Trump, since returning to the White House in January, has repeatedly said America needs the strategically located, resource-rich island for security reasons, and has refused to rule out the use of force to secure it.
Denmark has also repeatedly stressed that Greenland 'is not for sale'.
Mr Macron said his visit was aimed at conveying 'France's and the European Union's solidarity' for 'the sovereignty and territorial integrity' of Greenland.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, and dozens of Greenlanders waving their territory's red-and-white flags, were on hand to greet the French president.
Mr Macron kicked off his six-hour visit with talks on board a Danish frigate with Ms Frederiksen and Mr Nielsen.
He then visited a glacier to see firsthand the effects of global warming.
Mr Macron's trip to Greenland was 'a signal in itself, made at the request of Danish and Greenlandic authorities', his office said ahead of the trip.
'Not for sale'
The Danish invitation to Mr Macron contrasts sharply with the reception granted to US Vice-President J.D. Vance, whose one-day trip to Greenland in March was seen as a provocation by both Nuuk and Copenhagen.
During his visit to the US Pituffik military base, Mr Vance castigated Denmark for not having 'done a good job by the people of Greenland', alleging they had neglected security.
The Pituffik base is an essential part of Washington's missile defence infrastructure, its location putting it on the shortest route for missiles fired from Russia at the United States.
Polls indicate that the vast majority of Greenland's 57,000 inhabitants want to become independent from Denmark – but do not wish to become part of the United States.
Unlike Denmark, Greenland is not part of the European Union but is on the list of Overseas Territories associated with the bloc.
The Arctic has gained geostrategic importance as the race for rare earths heats up and as melting ice caused by global warming opens up new shipping routes.
Copenhagen in January announced a US$2 billion (S$2.6 billion) plan to boost its military presence in the Arctic region.
Nato also plans to set up a Combined Air Operations Centre (Caoc) in Norway above the Arctic Circle, as Russia aims to bolster its military presence in the region.
During his visit, Mr Macron was to discuss Arctic security and how to include the territory in 'European action' to contribute to its development, while 'respecting its sovereignty', his office said.
French President Emmanuel Macron (centre) walks on the glacier Mont Nunatarsuaq flanked by Danish PM Mette Frederiksen (left) and Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
PHOTO: AFP
Mount Nunatarsuaq
Mr Macron later took a helicopter tour of a glacier on Mount Nunatarsuaq, about 30km from Nuuk.
The Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the planet, according to a 2022 study in scientific journal Nature. Greenland's ice sheet melted 17 times faster than the historical average during a May 15-21 heatwave, a recent report showed.
From the helicopter, Mr Macron was able to observe a sea of fissured ice as far as the eye could see. He also took a walking tour on a rocky, grey stretch of land until recently covered in ice, a changing landscape which is having a major impact on local communities, the Greenlandic prime minister explained.
Measuring 9,000 sq km, the Nuuk fjord system is one of the biggest in the world.
France intends to 'massively reinvest in the knowledge of these ecosystems,' following in the footsteps of famed French explorer Paul-Emile Victor who carried out multiple expeditions to Greenland, Mr Macron's office said.
Greenlandic authorities recently designated Victor's hut, built in 1950 in Quervain Bay in the north, as a historic structure.
Mr Macron was to leave Greenland on June 15 evening to fly on to Canada for a G-7 meeting. AFP
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
19 minutes ago
- Straits Times
India expects EU trade deal by year end as Cyprus pledges support
Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi talk during a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, Cyprus June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides hold a joint press conference after their meeting at the presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, June 16, 2025. Iakovos Hatzistavrou/Pool via REUTERS Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides meets with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, June 16, 2025. Iakovos Hatzistavrou/Pool via REUTERS India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides after their meeting at the presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, June 16, 2025. Iakovos Hatzistavrou/Pool via REUTERS India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to the press after his meeting with Cyprus' president at the presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, June 16, 2025. Iakovos Hatzistavrou/Pool via REUTERS NICOSIA - India expects to finalise a free trade agreement with the European Union by the end of this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, while Cyprus, which assumes the EU presidency in 2026, said better ties would be its priority. Modi, on an official visit to the east Mediterranean island, said there were unlimited possibilities in expanding economic ties with Cyprus in a visit aimed at pushing forward India's global trade agenda. "We are working on finalising a mutually beneficial India-EU trade agreement by the end of this year," Modi said in joint remarks with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides. India is pursuing a trade link by sea and rail known as the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor, but the visit is being held in the shadow of an escalating crisis in the Middle East."We agree the India - Middle East Europe Corridor will pave the way for peace and prosperity in the region," Modi said. Cyprus, which has close relations with India through its shared membership of the Commonwealth, is offering facilities to be a first point of entry to Europe and a transhipment hub, Christodoulides said. "A strengthening of EU-India relations will be among the priorities of the Cypriot EU presidency," Christodoulides said. Cyprus assumes the rotating six-month presidency of the bloc in early 2026. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Norwegian monarch visits polar Svalbard as interest in Arctic grows
FILE PHOTO: Norway's King Harald visits Bjornoya, an island of the Svalbard Norwegian archipelago, June 14, 2025. NTB/Cornelius Poppe via REUTERS/File Photo OSLO - Norway's King Harald and Queen Sonja were due to visit on Monday the main settlement on the strategically located Arctic archipelago of Svalbard at a time of increased interest in the resource-rich polar region from the U.S., Russia and China. Focus on the Arctic's strategic importance for mining, shipping and security has increased sharply because of repeated statements by U.S. President Donald Trump that he wants to take over Greenland. The Arctic also holds fossil fuels and minerals beneath the land and the seabed and is an area of military and economic competition. The royal visit comes a day after French President Emmanuel Macron visited Greenland in a show of European solidarity. Svalbard - which officially became part of Norway in 1925 - lies roughly midway between the North Pole and the European mainland. King Harald's visit is to mark a century of Norwegian sovereignty. It is governed under a 1920 treaty which also allows citizens of signatory states to settle there without a visa. The Svalbard treaty restricts military use of the archipelago, but the islands are not a demilitarised zone. Russia has in the past accused Norway of militarising Svalbard, which Oslo denies. Norway is NATO's monitor for the vast 2 million square km (772,204 square miles) area of the North Atlantic, which includes the waters between Svalbard and the European mainland, used by the Russian northern fleet's nuclear submarines. Svalbard has two Russian settlements, Barentsburg and Pyramiden, with 297 residents currently out of a total population of 2,863, according to Statistics Norway. China, which calls itself a "near-Arctic" state, wants to create a "Polar Silk Road", an alternative shipping route to reduce its dependence on the Strait of Malacca. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Israel furious as France shuts four weapons stands at Paris Airshow
French police walk past the Israeli pavilion at the 55th International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier View of the Israeli pavilion at the 55th International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier Israel furious as France shuts four weapons stands at Paris Airshow LE BOURGET, France/JERUSALEM - France has shut down the four main Israeli company stands at the Paris Airshow for apparently displaying offensive weapons, in a move condemned by Israel that highlights the growing tensions between the traditional allies. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday that the instruction came from French authorities after Israeli firms failed to comply with a direction from a French security agency to remove offensive or kinetic weapons from the stands. A spokesperson for Gifas, the show's organiser, said some stands were closed, but declined to comment further. Three smaller Israeli stands, which didn't have hardware on display, and an Israeli Ministry of Defence stand, remain open. France and Israel, traditionally close allies, have had frosty relations in recent months with French President Emmanuel Macron increasingly critical over Israel's war in Gaza. Following Israel's missile strikes on Iran on Friday, Macron said Iran bore a heavy responsibility for destabilising the Middle East, but also urged Israel to show restraint. Israel's defence ministry said it had categorically rejected the order to remove some weapons systems from displays, and that exhibition organisers responded by erecting a black wall that separated the Israeli industry pavilions from others. This action, it added, was carried out in the middle of the night after Israeli defence officials and companies had already finished setting up their displays. "This outrageous and unprecedented decision reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations," the ministry said in a statement. "The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition - weapons that compete with French industries." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
