Macron visits Greenland in solidarity with Denmark after Trump's annexation threats
French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Greenland on Sunday, in a show of solidarity with Denmark meant to send a signal of European resolve after US President Donald Trump threatened to take over the island.Greenland is a self-governing part of the Kingdom of Denmark with the right to declare independence. Both the Greenland and Danish governments say it is not for sale and only Greenlanders can determine their future.advertisementPresident Donald Trump has said he wants the United States to take over the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island, and has not ruled out force. His vice president, JD Vance, visited a US military base there in March.
Macron, the first foreign leader to visit Greenland since Trump's explicit threats to "get" the island, was invited by the prime ministers of Greenland and Denmark. He has said his visit is meant to prevent any "preying" on the territory."France has stood by us since the first statements about taking our land emerged. This support is both necessary and gratifying," Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen wrote on Facebook days ahead of Macron's visit.Asked if Macron would deliver an explicit message to the United States during his visit, an adviser to Macron told reporters: "The trip is a signal in itself," without mentioning Trump.advertisementAccording to an IFOP poll for NYC.eu published on Saturday, 77 per cent of the French and 56 per cent of Americans disapprove of an annexation of Greenland by the US. And 43 per cent of the French would approve using French military power to prevent a US invasion.Macron will visit the capital Nuuk, as well as a hydropower station funded by the EU and a glacier, and discuss Arctic security and climate change with his hosts.Though Denmark is an EU member, Greenland is outside the bloc. The French adviser said the visit will be an opportunity to discuss how to give Greenland's association partnership with the EU a "new dimension".Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen made several visits to Paris after Trump's threats to seek French and European backing, and has placed orders for French-made surface-to-air missiles, in a shift of focus for Copenhagen.Enlisting the EU's only nuclear power is a way for Denmark, long one of Washington's most loyal allies in Europe, to project a form of hard power towards a suddenly more aggressive United States, Florian Vidal of the Paris-based IFRI think-tank said."The Trump administration's more aggressive posture is a shock that makes the French vision of Europe, one that is more autonomous, appear more reasonable for Denmark," he said. "From a Nordic point of view, France is a military power that counts."Must Watch
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Mint
31 minutes ago
- Mint
Govt to hold talks with exporters as Iran-Israel conflict stalls shipments, drives up costs
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Also read: Mint Explainer: How the Israel-Iran conflict can crash India's growth party 'As the situation has escalated only recently, we are closely monitoring developments and will engage with exporters and relevant industry groups to formulate a strategy that minimises the disruption to trade," said one of the three officials cited above. 'The discussion will be centred around finding a way out of the crisis and ensuring that trade flows are preserved to the extent possible." Export promotion councils, including those representing engineering goods, basmati rice, textiles, and pharmaceuticals, have raised an alarm. 'The geopolitical tensions will have a major impact on India's export-oriented trade to Europe and West Asia, as the Red Sea is a key route," said Arun Kumar Garodia, former chairman of the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC). 'The conflict will force shipments to take alternate, longer routes via the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa), adding to the cost burden on traders and importers," he said. 'This disruption is likely to affect India's overall trade performance, which may be reflected in the coming months' export data." Queries emailed to the commerce ministry remained unanswered till press time. Also read: Mint Explainer | Strait of Hormuz: Will Iran shut the vital oil artery of the world? For trade promotion bodies, the key concern is the 50% rise in shipment costs just days after the escalation began, and these are anticipated to increase even more after 1 July, the second official quoted earlier said. Basmati exporters have raised concerns over growing uncertainty in the Iranian market, one of India's top destinations for the commodity. With consignments lying at Indian ports and many shipments in transit, exporters fear that any delay could cost them the critical mid-June to mid-July delivery window, before Iran begins harvesting its domestic rice crop. 'Iran typically imposes a seasonal import ban by mid-July to protect local farmers. If tensions persist, we could miss the shipment window entirely," said Satish Goel, president of the All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA). India's rice exports to Iran rose to $757.30 million in FY25 from $689.80 million a year earlier, accounting for nearly 76% of India's total agricultural shipments to the country. Iran alone buys around one million tonnes of Indian basmati rice annually, or about 12% of India's total basmati exports, which stood at $5.94 billion in FY25. 'We are in a Catch-22 situation. With tensions escalating, many exporters have put their shipments on hold, even though consignments are already lying at the ports," Goel said. 'If the situation doesn't stabilise soon, exporters could end up bearing heavy losses." According to exporters, some ships in transit may be forced to turn back if the conflict drags on, while insurance remains another sticking point. Also read: India in anti-dumping crosshairs: US, Pakistan target Indian exports at WTO 'The major concern flagged by trade bodies is that many of these consignments may not be insured, as insurance companies typically refuse coverage for shipments headed to war or conflict zones," said the third official. Several other Gulf nations and nearby economies may face trade disruptions if shipping lanes become inaccessible or unsafe. The UAE, one of India's largest trading partners, could face delays in receiving food items, textiles and engineering goods. Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Iraq, and Kuwait are similarly vulnerable due to their dependence on maritime imports, the official said. 'The ongoing Iran-Israel conflict is expected to significantly impact India's trade with Europe, given that much of the cargo to the continent transits through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal," said S. Ramakrishna, former chairman and now advisor of the Federation of Freight Forwarders' Associations in India (FFFAI). India's exports to Europe stayed almost unchanged over the previous year at $98.34 billion in FY25, according to official trade data. Israel, which imports high-value Indian goods like pharmaceuticals and machinery, may also experience setbacks in port operations and air cargo services if the situation escalates.
India Gazette
33 minutes ago
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"Bit of contradiction": Ex envoy Mahesh Sachdev on reports suggesting US might be working with Israel
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India Gazette
33 minutes ago
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"Iran-Israel talks going to dominate G7 summit in Canada": KP Fabian
New Delhi [India], June 15 (ANI): The upcoming G7 Summit in Canada is expected to prioritise discussions on the escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, according to Foreign Affairs expert KP Fabian. Speaking to ANI, Fabian stated that the G7, well, earlier, the war in Ukraine was going to dominate the talks. Now, it is reasonably clear that the Iran-Israel Tension and hostilities are going to dominate the G7. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made it clear that there will be no joint communique, only action-oriented statements. Fabian noted that this decision is likely an effort to avoid irritating US President Donald Trump, who previously walked out of a G7 Summit in Canada after disagreeing with the joint communique. 'The host government... wants to make sure that nothing irritates Trump,' Fabian said. 'So Prime Minister Carney is playing it very carefully, very cautiously,' he added. Fabian also highlighted Iran's scepticism towards nuclear talks with the US following Israel's recent strikes on Iran. Simplifying the scenario, he affirmed that Iran believes that Israel's actions were only possible with the approval of the United States, rendering further negotiations with America pointless. 'Iran honestly believes, and Iran is not wrong, that. Israel struck only with the approval of President Donald Trump. So if that is the case, what's the point in talking to America? If America is permitting Israel to strike. Then there's no point in talking. Iran is right,' he said. 'Now, this doesn't mean there will be no more talks because Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump have spoken to each other, and it is possible, I say, after a few days,' he added. Trump on Saturday (local time) revealed that he received a call from Russian President Putin on his 79th birthday and talked about the war between Israel and Iran, which both leaders agreed 'should end.' The conversation occurred before Trump is set to mark his 79th birthday in the evening by attending a military parade on the streets of Washington, DC, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US Army. Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, 'President Putin called this morning to very nicely wish me a Happy Birthday, but to more importantly, talk about Iran, a country he knows very well.' The phone call, which lasted around an hour, primarily focused on the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. (ANI)
