Anitta Hipper, one of the spokespersons of the EU Commission, answered questions about Trump’s statements about Greenland at the daily press conference held in Brussels. Noting that he “will not go into details” regarding Trump’s statements, Hipper said, “Our policy on this issue is clear that, as a matter of principle, the sovereignty of states should be respected. This is also our diplomatic value and the basic principle we work on.” he said.
Hipper also stated that they “look forward to working on a stronger transatlantic agenda” with the next US administration.
Olof Gill, one of the spokespersons, commented that the reactions and concerns about Trump’s statements were “hypothetical” and said, “Let’s calm down a little. We are talking about quite wild assumptions about an administration that has not yet taken office.” he said.
“Our priority is to find mutually beneficial ways of cooperating with the new administration on both sides of the Atlantic, and we stand ready to defend our interests on trade and other issues as necessary,” Gill said. he said.
“ARE YOU EXPECTING US MARINES TO LAND IN GREENLAND?”
On the other hand, questions about the issue continued to come from journalists who were not satisfied with the answers of the spokespersons. A journalist compared Trump’s statements with Russia’s statements before the war that started in Ukraine in 2022.
Speaking thereupon, EU Commission Chief Spokesperson Paula Pinho said, “I do not want to compare this situation with what happened in Ukraine.” he replied.
Although Pinho confirmed that any military action against Greenland, an autonomous region of EU member Denmark, would trigger the “mutual assistance” clause in Article 42 of the EU Treaty, there is no such thing as the US “taking control” of Greenland. He declined to assess whether there was a risk and described questions on the subject as “too theoretical.”
One of the media members attending the meeting explained the EU’s attitude towards Trump’s statements: “You say sovereignty is more important than anything else, but you will not comment on a very clear threat coming from the new president of the USA. I have a hard time understanding this, so what are you waiting for? US marines going to Greenland” Are you waiting for it to land? He criticized with his words.
Trump, who was preparing to take over power in the United States, repeated his statement that Greenland should be under US control in his post on his Truth Social account on December 23, 2024, and argued that it was an “absolute necessity” to have ownership and control of the island.
‘WE WILL NOT ALLOW’ REACTION FROM FRANCE
“It is out of the question for the EU to allow other nations in the world to attack its own sovereign borders, no matter what they are,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in a broadcast on France Inter radio.
Regarding Trump’s statements that Greenland should be under US control, Barrot said that he did not believe that the US would “occupy” Greenland.
STATEMENT FROM DENMARK
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen made a statement to the press regarding Trump’s statements about Greenland. “I don’t think we are in any foreign policy crisis (with the US),” Rasmussen said. he said.
Stating that he had the impression that Trump was focusing more on the North Pole, Rasmussen said, “I think we can all do ourselves a favor and lower the pulse a little.” he said.
HE IMPLIED THAT HE MAY USE A SOLDIER
Trump had hinted that he could use soldiers to control Greenland. Asked yesterday whether he would make a commitment not to use soldiers to control the Panama Canal and Greenland, Trump said: “No, I cannot give you assurance about these two (that I will not use soldiers). Maybe we may need to do something. We need them for our economic security.” he replied.
Arguing that the Panama Canal was built for the US army but that the canal is operated by China today, Trump said, “The Panama Canal is of vital importance for our country. We gave the Panama Canal to Panama, but today it is operated by China. We did not give it to China.” .” he said.
“GREENLAND” IS NOT FOR SALE”
These words of Trump drew reaction from many quarters, especially Greenland officials.
Greenland Prime Minister Mute Bourup Egede emphasized that Greenland “is not for sale” and said, “Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people. We are not for sale and we will never be for sale. We will not lose our long-standing struggle for freedom.” He used the following expressions:
Continuing his statements about “taking control” of Greenland, Trump hinted on January 6 that he could use troops if necessary to control Greenland through the Panama Canal.
“I can’t give you assurances about these two. Maybe we may need to do something. We need these for our economic security,” Trump said at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, his campus in Florida. he said.
In her response to Trump’s latest statements, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated that her government and her perspective are clear and said, “The future of Greenland will be determined in Greenland. Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.” he said.
Another reaction to Trump’s statements came from French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. “It is out of the question for the EU to allow other nations of the world, whatever they may be, to attack its sovereign borders,” Barrot said. shared his opinion.