'Message of solidarity and friendship': Macron visits Greenland
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Greenland on Sunday carrying a 'message of solidarity and friendship' from France and the European Union.
Macron reiterated his criticism of Trump's intention to take control of the strategically located island:
'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 Greenland's 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,' Macron said. He was making a stop on his way to a G7 summit in Canada that will be also attended by Trump.
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 at the UN Ocean Conference, Macron also mentioned Greenland and the deep seas, saying they are not 'up for grabs' in remarks that appeared directed largely at Trump.
Last week, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to acknowledge that the Pentagon has developed plans to take over Greenland and Panama by force but refused to answer repeated questions on the details during a hotly combative congressional hearing on Thursday.
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.
Greenland's PM Nielsen said after his election in April 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.'
France's former President Nicolas Sarkozy has been stripped of his Legion of Honour medal following his conviction last year of corruption and influence peddling while in office, it was announced on Sunday.
The decision was made public via a decree released in the Journal Officiel that publishes the government's major legal information. It aligns with the rules of the Legion of Honour.
The conservative politician, who was president from 2007 to 2012, has been at the heart of a series of legal cases since leaving office.
He was found guilty of corruption and influence peddling by both a Paris court in 2021 and an appeals court in 2023 for trying to bribe a magistrate in exchange for information about a legal case in which he was implicated.
He was sentenced to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet for one year, a verdict upheld by France's highest court, the Court of Cassation, in December.
Earlier this year, Sarkozy stood trial over allegations that he received milions of Dollars from Libya for his successful presidential campaign in 2007. He denies the claims. Prosecutors requested a seven-year prison sentence. The verdict is expected in September.
Sarkozy becomes the second former head of state to be stripped of the Legion of Honour — France's highest distinction — after Nazi collaborator Philippe Petain, who was convicted in 1945 for treason and conspiring with the enemy for his actions as leader of Vichy France from 1940-1944.
Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was stripped of his Legion of Honour award in the wake of widespread sexual misconduct allegations against him in 2017. Disgraced cyclist and former Tour de France star Lance Armstrong also had his French Legion of Honour award revoked.
Sarkozy retired from public life in 2017 but still plays an influential role in French conservative politics.
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