Germany has played down concerns that the United States is seriously considering a military move to take control of Greenland, despite repeated statements by U.S. president Donald Trump about acquiring the Arctic territory.
Speaking to reporters on Monday after meeting Secretary of State Marco Rubio, German foreign minister Johann Wadephul said he had
no indication that this is being seriously considered.
Discussions among allies are instead focused on shared security interests in the Arctic region, he added.
Trump has for years raised the idea of securing Greenland and reignited tensions this week by stating that the United States will ‘take’ Greenland “one way or the other,” warning “
If we don’t…Russia or China will, and I’m not letting that happen.
Wadephul emphasized that there is a “common interest” among NATO partners in addressing Arctic security challenges cooperatively. He noted that NATO is currently working on developing more concrete plans related to Arctic defense, which will be discussed with U.S. partners.
It comes ahead of talks this week in Washington between Rubio and top diplomats from Denmark and Greenland. Greenland’s government reiterated on Monday that it would not accept a U.S. takeover “under any circumstance.”
A statement from the U.S. congress was also issued on Monday, January 13th, noting that a delegation will visit Copenhagen on Friday and Saturday, en route to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
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