France has said the European Union will not allow other nations to attack its “sovereign borders”, after US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out the use of military force to seize Greenland.
On Tuesday, Trump reiterated his desire to acquire the autonomous Danish territory, saying it was “critical” to national and economic security.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told French radio that “there is clearly no doubt that the European Union would allow other nations of the world to attack its sovereign borders, whoever they are.”
Barrot said he did not believe the US would invade the vast Arctic island, but was clear the EU should not be intimidated.
Denmark, a longtime ally of the US, has repeatedly made it clear that Greenland is not for sale and belongs to its inhabitants.
Greenland’s Prime Minister, Mute Egede, is in favor of independence and has also made it clear that the territory is not for sale. On Wednesday, he visited Copenhagen.
Trump made the remarks at a casual press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, less than two weeks before he is sworn in for his second term as president.
Asked if he would rule out using military or economic force to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal, Trump said: “No, I can’t convince you of either of those.
“But I can say this, we need them for economic security.”
Greenland has been home to a US radar base since the Cold War and has long been strategically important to Washington.
Trump suggested the island was key to military efforts to track Chinese and Russian ships, which he said were “all over the place.”
“I’m talking about protecting the free world,” he told reporters.
Speaking to France Inter radio, Barrot said: “If you ask me if I think the United States will attack Greenland, my answer is no.
“Have we entered an era where the survival of the fittest returns? Then the answer is yes.
“So, should we allow ourselves to be intimidated and overcome by worry, obviously not. We must wake up, strengthen our strength.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish TV on Tuesday that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders” and that only the local population can determine its future.
However, she emphasized that Denmark needs close cooperation with the US, a NATO ally.
Greenland, which has a population of just 57,000, has broad autonomy, but its economy is heavily dependent on subsidies from Copenhagen and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
It also has some of the largest deposits of rare earth minerals, which are key in the production of batteries and high-tech devices.
Danish Broadcasting Corporation senior international correspondent Steffen Kretz, reporting from Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, said most people he spoke to were “shocked” by Trump’s suggestion that he might use military force to take control of the territory.
While most people in Greenland hoped for independence in the future, he said there was a widespread understanding that a partner was needed that could provide public services, defense and an economic base, as Denmark has now done.
“I have yet to meet a person in Greenland who dreams of the island becoming a colony of another outside power like the US.”
Kretz told the BBC that while the Danish government has sought to “downplay” any conflict with Trump, “behind the scenes, I sense an awareness that this conflict has the potential to be the biggest international crisis for Denmark in modern history.”
The president-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr., made a brief visit to Greenland on Tuesday, on what he described as a “personal day trip” to talk to people.
He then posted a photo with a group of Greenlanders in a bar wearing pro-Trump hats.
