Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that Greenland “is part of Denmark and the EU is rock-solid behind Denmark”, responding to earlier remarks by US President Donald Trump about the Danish territory in the Arctic.
Mr Trump is considering options, including possible military action, to take control of Greenland, according to the White House yesterday, escalating tensions that Denmark has warned could threaten the Nato alliance, reports RTE.
Speaking from Shanghai, where he is on an official visit, the Taoiseach said that “common sense needs to prevail” in relation to the situation.
“The US has always had a military base in Greenland and I know the Danish Prime Minister has been engaged with the White House and is very clear that any issues that need to be resolved are open to discussion in terms of the military base that’s there,” he added, reports RTE.
Mr Martin said that “in terms of the territorial integrity, that’s a matter for the kingdom of Denmark and the population of Greenland”, reports RTE.
He also stated that he does not believe it is “realistic or possible” for the United States to purchase Greenland.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Helen McEntee, said the future of Greenland is an issue “to be determined by Denmark and the Greenlandic people in line with well-established democratic principles and international law”, reports RTE.
In a statement, she added that Ireland has “consistently underlined” that state sovereignty and territorial integrity are fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter.
“Ireland fully supports the approach of our fellow EU Member State Denmark. We will continue to monitor the situation and remain in close contact with Denmark and all relevant partners”, the minister said, reports RTE.
Trine Mach, a Danish MP and member of the Greenland Committee in the Danish parliament, told RTÉ’s News at One that people in both Denmark and Greenland were alarmed by the rhetoric coming from the US.
She said: “I think we have to take Donald Trump’s voice very serious[ly] and very concrete as well,” reports RTE.
“It’s a year since he was bragging – excuse me for the language – about it the first time, and now it has been repeated several times over the last couple of days even, in the aftermath of the attack in Venezuela,” reports RTE.
“So I think we are very worried in Denmark and they are certainly very worried as well in Greenland,” reports RTE.
Meanwhile, France said it is working alongside partners on a plan for how to respond should the United States act on its threat to take over Greenland.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the issue would be raised during talks later in the day with the foreign ministers of Germany and Poland, reports RTE.
“We want to take action, but we want to do so together with our European partners,” he said on France Inter radio, reports RTE.
In recent days, Mr Trump has reiterated his desire to gain control of Greenland, an idea he first raised in 2019 during his first term as president, arguing it is strategically vital for US military interests and claiming Denmark has failed to adequately protect it.
The White House said yesterday that Mr Trump is examining options to acquire Greenland, including the potential use of military force, reviving his ambition to control the strategically important island despite objections from European allies, reports RTE.
Mr Barrot suggested that a US military intervention had been ruled out by a senior American official.
“I myself was on the phone yesterday with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (…) who confirmed that this was not the approach taken … he ruled out the possibility of an invasion (of Greenland),” he said, reports RTE.
Greenland, the world’s largest island with a population of about 57,000, is not an independent Nato member but falls under Denmark’s membership of the alliance.
Its location between Europe and North America makes it strategically important for the US ballistic missile defence system, while its mineral resources align with Washington’s goal of reducing dependence on China, reports RTE.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “acquiring Greenland is a national security priority” for President Trump to deter adversaries such as Russia and China.
“The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilising the US military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal,” she said in a statement to AFP, reports RTE.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr Rubio told lawmakers that Mr Trump’s preferred option remains purchasing Greenland from Denmark, adding that the rhetoric did not indicate an imminent invasion.
Denmark has warned that any attempt to seize Greenland by force would bring an end to decades of close transatlantic security cooperation, including Nato, reports RTE.
Any US military action against Greenland would effectively dismantle Nato, as Article Five commits alliance members to defend one another if attacked.
Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt said on social media that repeated efforts to secure a meeting with Mr Rubio throughout last year had failed.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said that a meeting with Mr Rubio should help “clear up certain misunderstandings”, reports RTE.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has insisted the island is not for sale and that only its 57,000 residents have the right to determine its future.
Allies have rallied behind Denmark and Greenland while also attempting to avoid provoking Mr Trump, reports RTE.
Leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain joined Denmark in a statement yesterday affirming their commitment to the “universal principles” of “sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders”.
The United States currently has around 150 military personnel stationed at the Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, reports RTE.
Residents of Greenland have rejected Mr Trump’s threats.
“This is not something we appreciate,” said Christian Keldsen, director of the Greenland Business Association, speaking in the capital Nuuk, reports RTE.
“It is not acceptable in the civilised world,” reports RTE.
US lawmakers have also criticised the idea of military action against Greenland.
In social media posts, Arizona Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego said he would introduce a resolution “to block Trump from invading Greenland,” adding that the 79-year-old Republican “wants a giant island with his name on it. He wouldn’t think twice about putting our troops in danger if it makes him feel big and strong”, reports RTE.
In a rare break from partisan norms, Republicans also voiced opposition to the idea of military-backed expansion.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that he did not believe it was “appropriate” for the US to use military force against Greenland, Politico reported, reports RTE.
Republican Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told HuffPost that “it’s none of our business” and warned such a move would lead to “the demise of NATO”, reports RTE.
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