French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, june 15, strongly criticised US President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland during his visit to the Danish autonomous territory. Speaking in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, Macron said, “That’s not what allies do,” underscoring the disapproval of such remarks by America’s European partners.
Macron is the first foreign head of state to visit Greenland since Trump repeatedly suggested that the strategically located, resource-rich island should be acquired by the United States for security reasons. Trump has refused to rule out the use of force to secure Greenland, sparking international concern.
“Everybody thinks, in France, in the European Union, that Greenland is not to be sold, not to be taken,” Macron told reporters as he concluded his six-hour visit. Accompanied by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Macron emphasised France’s and the EU’s “solidarity” with Greenland and stressed the importance of the island’s “territorial integrity,” as dozens of Greenlanders waved the red-and-white territorial flag in support.
Denmark has also consistently maintained that Greenland “is not for sale,” a position reaffirmed by Frederiksen during Macron’s visit. Earlier, Macron held talks aboard a Danish frigate with Frederiksen and Nielsen, discussing the growing cooperation between Russia and China in the Arctic region. Macron announced that France is prepared to participate in joint military exercises with Arctic nations under NATO and the NB8 Nordic and Baltic framework to ensure regional security.
The Danish government recently announced a $2 billion plan to strengthen its military presence in the Arctic amid escalating geopolitical tensions.
Macron’s visit included a helicopter tour of a glacier on Mount Nunatarsuaq near Nuuk, where he observed firsthand the dramatic effects of global warming. The Arctic is warming four times faster than the global average, with Greenland’s ice sheet melting at unprecedented rates, raising concerns over environmental and socio-economic impacts on local communities.
Greenland, home to about 57,000 people, has expressed strong desires for independence from Denmark but has shown little interest in becoming part of the United States. Unlike Denmark, Greenland is not a member of the European Union but is listed among the bloc’s Overseas Territories associated with it.
The Arctic’s growing strategic importance stems from melting ice opening new shipping routes and a rush for rare earth minerals crucial for modern technologies. Macron highlighted the EU’s ambition to “accelerate the implementation” of its 2023 strategic partnership with Greenland to develop sustainable value chains for critical raw materials such as rare earths and graphite.
The French president departed Greenland Sunday evening, heading to Canada for an upcoming G7 summit.
