Greenland | “It is a clear and very complicated message for Europe”: Donald Trump heats up his return with a renewed struggle with the Old Continent over Greenland

The Republican has insisted on his plans to take control of the island, an autonomous territory that depends on Denmark a member country of the European Union, which is coveted for its strategic location and abundant natural resources. This week, Trump He went a little further and did not rule out using force to take this territory. The reactions were immediate.

“The idea expressed about Greenland obviously not good, but perhaps the most important thing is that obviously that is not going to happen,” said Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. His position is in line with what was expressed in recent weeks by the territory’s head of government, Múte Bourup Egede, who stressed that Greenland “is not for sale and never will be.”

Trump He had already expressed his desire to buy Greenland during his first term and, like now, the proposal was also rejected at that time. The Republican even canceled a 2019 visit to Denmark after Copenhagen discarded his offer on the island.

To the position of Denmark y Greenland On Wednesday the 8th, the angry reaction of other countries in the European Union. France is one of the nations that has raised the tone the most. The French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, stated that the European Union must wake up and be aware that we are entering an era of “the law of the strongest.”

He stressed that Greenland It is a territory of European Union and stressed that the “deep nature” of the United States is “contrary” to the idea of ​​imperialism. “It is ruled out – he added – that the EU allows other nations in the world, whoever they may be and starting with Russia, to attack its sovereign borders. We are a strong continent, we have to strengthen ourselves more, we have to wake up.”

The AFP agency recalls that Denmark is part of the EU, but Greenland It is considered an “overseas territory” of the European bloc after the citizens of the island decided during a referendum in 1982 to leave the then European Economic Community.

For his part, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, reminded Trump that the inviolability of borders and international law are binding on everyone. “The principle of the inviolability of borders is in force for all countries, it does not matter if they are to the east or west. “Everyone must comply, whether they are a small country or a very large power,” Scholz said after speaking with other European leaders about the last words of the elected president of the United States.

The European Commission (EC) also called for respect for the sovereignty of the Member States and stressed that Greenland It is covered by the collective defense of the European Union.

A difficult situation

It is evident that the statements of Trump They have generated shocks in Europe, which has had the expected reactions, Enrique Banús, internationalist and director of the Institute of European Studies at the University of Piura, tells El Comercio. However, the situation in the Old Continent is not ideal for a scenario of tensions with Washington.

“It is usually up to France to be Europe’s spokesperson on international issues and in that sense Emmanuel Macron has done what is expected of him, but internally he has many problems with an extreme left and extreme right who are Eurosceptic and who both have certain percentages of votes. very high Very difficult, very complicated years are coming and we are going to see how Europe reacts,” he points out.

Has Europa reasons to be worried? For the expert the UE I would have to fear in case all of this is totally serious. But for now it is not known to what extent the words of Trump They are warnings or rhetorical gestures to maintain attention.

“What is evident is that Donald Trump He is going to take care of the interests of the United States first and foremost. And he is already telling Europe very clear things, among them that the defense of the EU is going to be up to the EU, that is, that they expand military spending. He is saying that his interest in foreign policy, which is basically trade policy, is going to be the confrontation with China and that he does not intend to entertain others. It is a clear and very complicated message for Europe,” says Banús.

The French Government has redoubled its calls to the other partners of the European Union to directly assume its defense, reducing its dependence on USA in the I’LL TAKE block that Trump He has threatened to quit on more than one occasion.

For this reason, Banús considers that the biggest problem of European Union regarding Trump it’s not Greenland but the possible consequences of a real distancing of Washington from Europe and NATO.

“Europe has to react quickly, clearly, emphatically. If the military presence of USA is reduced, if your interest in I’LL TAKE is reduced, if its support for Ukraine is reduced and the Europeans, who have neglected this entire active defense policy for years because they thought that the cold war was already over, will find themselves faced with a situation that will not be reversed in a few months because improving A foreign defense policy is a job that takes years,” he points out.

Given that, the best option for Europa is the negotiation and in those leagues an ally could be the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, who has shown greater affinity with Trump and whose weight could increase in the European Union as of January 20.