NATO can address Greenland security concerns, EU diplomat says
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas (photo: Getty Images)
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, responding to remarks by US President Donald Trump about Greenland's security, said NATO is capable of dispelling those concerns, Welt reports.
"Greenland belongs to its citizens. If there are concerns about the island's security, NATO is capable of dispelling those concerns," said Kaja Kallas.
She also stressed that Greenland has strategic importance.
"Undersea cables run near the island, and rare earth elements are located beneath Greenland's ice," the head of EU diplomacy noted.
Kallas also said that the United States remains the EU's largest ally, but added that the partnership is currently "in a difficult phase."
Background
Earlier, Donald Trump did not rule out the possibility of "returning" Greenland to the United States, even at the cost of NATO's collapse. The US president considers the Alliance ineffective without a leading role for the United States.
In addition, Trump said that if the United States does not take control of Greenland, then Russia or China inevitably will. He added that its defense amounts to just "two dog sleds."
According to the US special envoy for Greenland, Jeff Landry, Denmark "occupied" the island after World War II, restoring control over it, bypassing UN protocols.
Denmark reacted sharply to such claims from the United States. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen urged Trump to stop threats against Greenland and to respect the kingdom's sovereignty. In Greenland, representatives of all five political parties said that the Greenlandic people do not want to be Americans.
Against this backdrop, Britain has begun talks with European allies on the possible deployment of military forces in Greenland to strengthen security in the Arctic and ease concerns of US President Donald Trump.
Germany may propose creating a joint NATO mission with the official goal of monitoring and protecting the Alliance's security interests in the Arctic region. In reality, the main task of the new mission would be the defense of Greenland.
