UK Foreign Minister reacts to Trump's statements on Greenland
Photo: British Foreign Secretary David Lammy (Getty Images)
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy believes that statements by US President-elect Donald Trump could be destabilizing, according to The Guardian.
“I think that we know from Donald Trump’s first term that the intensity of his rhetoric, and the unpredictability sometimes of what he says, can be destabilising. He did it with Nato. But in fact, in practice, he sent more troops to Europe under his administration. He sent the first Javelins [anti-tank weapons] and weapons to Ukraine under his administration,” Lemmy said.
He believes that Trump will not use military force to seize Greenland, despite speculation that he might do so. Asked whether the UK should follow France and Germany in saying that this would be unacceptable, Lammy replied: “Let’s be serious … It’s not going to happen because no Nato allies have gone to war since the birth of Nato which Ernest Bevin, my great predecessor, was part of.”
The British Foreign Secretary said that Trump's comments should be understood as a reflection of his concerns about security in the Arctic.
“Here, I suspect on Greenland, what he’s targeting is his concerns about Russia and China in the Arctic, his concerns about national economic security. He recognises, I’m sure, that in the end, Greenland today is a Kingdom of Denmark. There is a debate in Greenland about their own self determination. But behind it, I think, are his concerns about the Arctic. Of course, the US has troops and a base on Greenland. So it has got a stake in that Arctic region,” he said.
Trump's encroachment on Greenland
Trump has previously stated the possibility of using military or economic action to acquire Greenland, which belongs to Denmark.
During his first term, he offered to sell the island to Denmark but was rejected. The Prime Minister of Greenland and the EU emphasized that the island is not for sale, calling for respect for the sovereignty of the countries. The media attributed these statements to the opposition of Russia and China, as Greenland is strategically important to the United States because of its missile early warning system.
Read more about what is behind Trump's words about Greenland in an RBC-Ukraine article.
