Newsman: The British prime minister said Denmark and Greenland should determine the future of the Arctic territory. Mette Frederiksen, president of Denmark, in a statement urged Trump to “stop the threats against a historically close ally,” saying the U.S. “has no right to annex one of the three countries in the Commonwealth.”
“The Kingdom of Denmark – and thus Greenland – is part of NATO and is therefore covered by the alliance’s security guarantee,” Frederiksen said. “We already have a defense agreement between the Kingdom and the United States today that gives the United States wide access to Greenland. And we, on the part of the Kingdom, have invested significantly in security in the Arctic.”
The U.K. prime minister told broadcasters he stood with Danish PM Mette Frederiksen, who warned Sunday the United States has no right to annex the self-ruling Danish territory.
“The future of Greenland is for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark,” Starmer told Sky News Monday. “Denmark is a close European ally, a close NATO ally, and the future therefore has to be for Greenland [and] for the Kingdom of Denmark, and only for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.”
Pushed explicitly on Frederiksen’s warning that the U.S. has no right to take over the territory, Starmer said: “I stand with her, and she’s right about the future of Greenland.”
The PM also responded “yes” to the BBC when asked if he would join the Danes in saying “hands off Greenland.”
Starmer refused to say whether Trump’s actions broke international law, arguing “it’s a complicated situation.” The “peaceful transition to democracy” should be prioritized, he said.
“I want to establish the facts first. I want to speak to President Trump. I want to speak to allies,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement. “I always say and believe we should all uphold international law.”
Trump has long advocated for the mineral-rich territory to become part of the United States, and on Sunday told reporters on Air Force One: “We need Greenland from a national security situation.”
