European leaders issue statement on Greenland: It belongs to its people

European leaders have expressed their position on Greenland following Donald Trump's statements about his desire to control the island.

The Danish government has released a statement on the matter, according to Censor.NET.

Who supported the statement?

The statement was joined by French President Macron, German Chancellor Merz, Italian Prime Minister Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Tusk, Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez, British Prime Minister Starmer and Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen.

They emphasised that security in the Arctic remains a key priority for Europe and is crucial for international and transatlantic security.

"NATO has clearly signalled that the Arctic region is a priority, and European allies have stepped up their efforts.

We and many other allies have increased our presence, activities and investments to support security in the Arctic and deter rivals. The Kingdom of Denmark, including Greenland, is part of NATO," the leaders said in a statement.

According to them, security in the Arctic must be achieved through collective efforts, in particular within NATO, which includes the United States, "in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter, including those relating to sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders."

"These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them. The United States is a key partner in these efforts, both as a NATO member and as a country that also has a defence agreement with the Kingdom of Denmark dating back to 1951.

Greenland belongs to its people. Denmark and Greenland, and only they, should decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland," the leaders concluded.

What preceded it?

Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced the appointment of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as the United States Special Envoy to Greenland.
Denmark has called on the United States to respect the country's territorial integrity following President Donald Trump's decision to appoint a special envoy to Greenland.
Trump said that the US needs Greenland for defence purposes.

US plans for Greenland

As a reminder, in early January, Trump said that Denmark should give up Greenland to protect the "free world."
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen cannot imagine and does not believe that the United States will use military or economic force to control Greenland.
Danish Foreign Minister Rasmussen, in turn, said that Greenland could become independent if its residents wanted it to, but it would not be a US state.
CNN writes that Danish officials fear that US President Donald Trump is much more serious about acquiring Greenland than he was in his first term.
Earlier, Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede said that the island does not want to be American or Danish, but seeks independence, noting that this is nothing new.
On 5 March, Trump said that the US was ready to accept Greenland into its fold if the people were "in favour": "We will get it one way or another."
In November, the Greenlandic parliament passed a law restricting the right of foreigners to purchase real estate on the island. This happened against the backdrop of growing US interest in acquiring real estate in Greenland.