BRUSSELS: The European Union (EU) dismissed U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s refusal to rule out a military attack to take control of Denmark’s autonomous territory of Greenland as “wild hypothetical stuff,” while confirming that EU states would be compelled to defend the island if Trump invaded it.
Trump, set to be inaugurated for a second, nonconsecutive term in the White House on Jan. 20, refused at a news conference Tuesday to rule out military action to take control of the mineral-rich Arctic island and earlier had vowed to slap high tariffs on Denmark if it refused to cede control.
The Brussels-based 27-nation bloc, long a U.S. ally, however, attempted to avoid being drawn into a verbal sparring match with Trump, saying it was “looking forward” to working with the incoming administration.
As for Trump’s refusal to rule out military action to take over Greenland, a European Commission spokesperson said, “We are talking about fairly wild hypothetical stuff about an administration that hasn’t come in yet.”
Another spokesperson added that the sovereignty of states had to be respected “as a matter of principle.”
Asked if Greenland was covered by a mutual defense clause binding EU members to assist each other in case of attack, commission spokesperson Paula Pinho said that was the case.
“But we are indeed speaking of something extremely theoretical on which we will not want to elaborate,” she said.
Greenland is a mineral-rich autonomous territory of EU member Denmark and an associated territory of the EU.
Trump has long publicly hypothesized about taking over Greenland, saying Tuesday, “We need Greenland for national security purposes,” arguing that Denmark should give it up to “protect the free world.”
Aside from minerals on the island, it is a strategic Arctic shipping portal, especially as ice floes melt at the top of the world as the planet warms.
Trump earlier in the day wrote on social media that the potential American takeover of Greenland “is a deal that must happen” and uploaded photos of his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who was visiting Greenland.
“MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN,” Trump added.
(VOA)
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