France warns US over Greenland

The seizure of the Arctic island would endanger Washington’s trade with the bloc, the French finance minister has said

France has issued a diplomatic warning to the US, stating that any attempt to seize Greenland would amount to a “crossed line” and threaten economic ties with the EU, Financial Times has reported.

The message was delivered by French Finance Minister Roland Lescure to his US counterpart, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, according to a report on Friday. The minister told FT that he delivered a similar message to Bessent during talks in Washington on Monday.

“Greenland is a sovereign part of a sovereign country that is part of the EU. That shouldn’t be messed around [with],” Lescure was quoted as saying.

Although it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenland withdrew from the EU’s predecessor in 1985 and is now an ‘Overseas Country and Territory’ (OCT). Legal experts and EU officials are currently divided over whether Article 42.7, the bloc’s mutual defense clause, applies to an OCT.

US President Donald Trump voiced his desire to acquire Greenland during his first term, and has renewed the push in recent weeks. He has stated that Washington needs to take possession of the self-governing island for the sake of US “national security,” hinting at taking it by force.

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Lescure described the current American behavior as a “paradox,” noting that while Washington acts as an ally on some issues, it also behaves as an unpredictable adversary on others.

Several Western European countries have pushed back on US annexation threats, while Denmark has bolstered its military presence on the island.

According to media reports, a small French military contingent of some 15 soldiers has arrived in Greenland. Other countries have reportedly sent similarly-sized groups; 13 German reconnaissance specialists, three Swedish officers, two Norwegians, and one from Britain.

Denmark insists the island is not for sale and that its future must be decided by its residents, who voted in 2008 to retain self-governing status within the Danish realm.

READ MORE: ‘A jellyfish has more spine than Europeans’ – professor on Trump’s plans to annex Greenland

Greenland is the world’s largest non-continental island. At 2.16 million square kilometers in size, it is strategically located in the Arctic, but only has a population of around 57,000 people.