Canada and France move into Greenland as US eyes the island

The NATO members have opened diplomatic missions after US President Donald Trump renewed his push to acquire the autonomous Danish territory

Canada and France have established consulates in Greenland amid a rift between the US and other NATO member states over the Danish-controlled autonomous territory.

US President Donald Trump recently reiterated his demand that the strategically located island become part of the US. He has cited supposed Russian and Chinese threats to the Arctic territory – which both Moscow and Beijing have dismissed. Denmark, along with several other European nations, has rejected the Trump administration’s push to take possession of Greenland.

On Saturday, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand met with her Danish and Greenlandic counterparts, Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Vivian Motzfeldt, in Nuuk. During her visit, Anand opened Canada’s new consulate in Greenland’s capital.

The Canadian diplomat reaffirmed Ottawa’s “support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Greenland and of the Kingdom of Denmark,” as quoted by the Foreign Ministry.

A day earlier, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot officially assumed the office of French Consul General in Greenland. A statement by the Foreign Ministry noted that France is the “first European Union country to set up a consulate general” on the Danish-governed island.

“France reiterates its commitment to respect for the Kingdom of Denmark’s territorial integrity,” the ministry said.

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Last month, Denmark launched a military exercise in Greenland, with Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, and the UK sending symbolic contingents of up to 15 personnel each.

After several European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, reaffirmed support for Denmark last month, Trump threatened Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland with tariffs.

The US president dropped his threat shortly thereafter, saying he agreed on the “framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland” with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte – with no details forthcoming to date.

Last month, Rasmus Jarlov, the chair of Denmark’s parliamentary defense committee, said Russia and China pose no threat to Greenland – an assessment echoed by EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov similarly said Washington is “well aware” that neither Russia nor China has plans regarding the island.