Starmer backs Denmark after Trump’s threats over Greenland

Sir Keir Starmer said he "stands" with Denmark after Donald Trump threatened to annex Greenland, and told reporters that Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen was "right" to refuse any US claim to the territory, the Independent.co reports. The comments came after Mr Trump repeated territorial claims over Greenland following his decision to capture Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro and suggested Venezuela may not be the last country subject to American intervention; he has also previously made territorial claims against Canada.

Mr Trump has been making territorial claims on Greenland since January last year and was quoted saying "We do need Greenland, absolutely" to Atlantic magazine. A social media post by Katie Miller showed Greenland in the colours of the American flag with the word "soon", and Denmark said "the US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom." Starmer, who met Ms Frederiksen in Copenhagen in October (Reuters), told Sky News: "Well, I stand with her, and she's right about the future of Greenland," and said "Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark are to decide the future of Greenland, and only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark." It is understood the prime minister has not spoken to Mr Trump yet and that the UK’s position was outlined by foreign secretary Yvette Cooper in a call to US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Sunday evening.

Key Topics

Politics, Keir Starmer, Donald Trump, Greenland, Denmark, Mette Frederiksen