Starmer set out his position on Greenland in phone call with Trump, Downing Street says

Independent.co reports Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer "set out his position on Greenland" during a phone call with Donald Trump on Wednesday evening, Downing Street has confirmed. Downing Street did not provide details of Sir Keir’s comments. The discussion followed suggestions from US officials that America could potentially use "military means" to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory, and Mr Trump has previously said the island is crucial for US national security.

Sir Keir has repeatedly said Greenland’s future must be determined solely by its own people and Denmark, a stance he reiterated in the Commons earlier the same day, while Denmark’s prime minister warned that a US takeover would spell the end of the Nato alliance. US secretary of state Marco Rubio had earlier said Mr Trump was examining how to "acquire Greenland", suggesting the US could offer to buy the territory but adding it "retains the option" to use force.

The call also covered the seizure of oil tanker Marinera, continuing negotiations on the future of Ukraine and US military action in Venezuela. It was the first time the two men had spoken since US special forces seized Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Sir Keir’s call comes as Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy prepares to meet US vice-president JD Vance on Thursday, a meeting likely to feature Greenland as part of Mr Lammy’s visit to the US to mark the 250th anniversary of America’s declaration of independence from Britain.

Key Topics

Politics, Keir Starmer, Donald Trump, Greenland, Denmark, Nato