European allies back Denmark after White House raises military option on Greenland

A number of European allies issued a stern statement backing Denmark and Greenland after the White House said using US military is "always an option" for acquiring Greenland, comments that came hours after the Coalition of the Willing took a step towards providing Ukraine with security guarantees.

Denmark held an emergency meeting of its foreign affairs committee to discuss next steps. The Wall Street Journal reported that US state secretary Marco Rubio told lawmakers the preferred option was to buy Greenland from Denmark rather than invade it, but it was unclear if that would convince Copenhagen.

French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said, after speaking to Rubio, he was confident a Venezuela-like scenario would not materialise "for now". He confirmed France was working with partners on a plan to respond should the US act on its threat, and the issue was expected to come up at a ministerial meeting with counterparts from Germany and Poland.

Other developments include EU talks on the Mercosur trade deal being back on the table after a delay linked to opposition from France and Italy, and widespread winter travel disruption across Europe, including more than 3,300 cancellations at Amsterdam's Schiphol since last Friday and delays at Paris CDG. It remained unclear what Denmark’s next steps would be and whether US statements would alter Copenhagen’s position.

Key Topics

World, Greenland, Denmark, Marco Rubio, Jean-noël Barrot