European leaders rally behind Greenland

Leaders from major European powers rallied behind Greenland Tuesday, saying the Arctic island belongs to its people, following a renewed threat by US President Donald Trump to take over the Danish territory.

- REUTERS

Trump has in recent days repeated that he wants to gain control of Greenland, an idea first voiced in 2019 during his first presidency, arguing it is vital for the US military, and that Denmark has not done enough to protect it.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller Monday dismissed concerns about Danish sovereignty.

“You can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else,” Miller told CNN. “But we live in a world, in the real world, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power.”

A US military operation over the weekend that seized the leader of Venezuela has rekindled concerns that Greenland might face a similar scenario. Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the United States.