‘Not to be taken': Macron's Greenland visit shows Europe's support for territory coveted by Trump
Nuuk, Greenland: French President Emmanuel Macron warned that Greenland is 'not to be sold' nor 'to be taken' during a key visit on Sunday to the strategic Arctic territory coveted by US President Donald Trump, saying he's conveying a message of French and European solidarity.
Macron expressed strong criticism of Trump's intention to take control of the territory.
'In a few words: everybody in France, the European Union, thinks that Greenland is not to be sold, not to be taken,' he said during a news conference, applauded by the local crowd.
'The situation in Greenland is clearly a wake-up call for all Europeans. Let me tell you very directly that you're not alone,' Macron added.
Sunday's symbolic stop in Greenland comes as the French leader is on his way to a summit of the Group of Seven leading industrialised nations in Canada that will also be attended by Trump.
Macron was greeted in Nuuk, the territory's capital, by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
Asked whether France would be ready to militarily support Greenland if Trump decided to invade, Macron declined to discuss the hypothesis.
'I won't start elaborating on 'what if' scenarios publicly,' he said. 'Because I don't believe that in the end, the US, which is an ally and a friend, would ever do something aggressive against another ally.'
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