Macron visits Greenland to show EU support for island

French President Emmanuel Macron landed on Sunday in Greenland, the strategic Arctic island coveted by US President Donald Trump, carrying a “message of solidarity and friendship” from France and the European Union (EU).

Macron reiterated his criticism of Trump’s intention to take control of the territory.

“I don’t think that’s something to be done between allies,” he said as he was greeted at the Nuuk airport by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.

“It’s important to show that Denmark and Europe are committed to this territory, which has very high strategic stakes and whose territorial integrity must be respected,” Macron said.

He was making a stop on his way a summit of the Group of Seven leading industrialised nations in Canada that will be also attended by Trump.

Macron, who is visiting Greenland for the first time, said “it means a lot to me ... to convey a message of friendship and solidarity from France and the European Union to help this territory face the different challenges: economic development, education, as well as the consequences of climate change.”

In a speech last week at the UN Ocean Conference, Macron also mentioned Greenland and the deep seas, saying they are not “up for grabs” in remarks that appeared directed largely at Trump.

Macron in recent months has sought to reinvigorate France’s role as the diplomatic and economic heavyweight of the 27-nation European Union.

The French president has positioned himself as a leader in Europe amid Trump’s threats to pull support from Ukraine as it fights against Russia’s invasion.

Macron hosted a summit in Paris with other European heads of state to discuss Kyiv, as well as security issues on the continent.

Sunday’s visit will also be the occasion to discuss how to further enhance relations between the EU and Greenland when it comes to economic development, low-carbon energy transition and critical minerals.

The leaders will also have exchanges on efforts to curb global warming, according to Macron’s office.

Later on Sunday, Macron, Frederiksen and Nielsen held a meeting on a Danish helicopter carrier, showing France’s concerns over security issues in the region.

Last week, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to acknowledge that the Pentagon has developed plans to take over Greenland and Panama by force if necessary but refused to answer repeated questions during a hotly combative congressional hearing on Thursday about his use of Signal chats to discuss military operations.

Hegseth’s comments were the latest controversial remarks made by a member of the Trump administration about the Arctic island.

The president himself has said he won’t rule out military force to take over Greenland, which he considers vital to American security in the high north.

The Wall Street Journal last month reported that several high-ranking officials under the US director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, had directed intelligence agency heads to learn more about Greenland’s independence movement and sentiment about US resource extraction there.

Nielsen in April said that US statements about the island have been disrespectful and that Greenland “will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone.”

Greenland, which has a population of about 57,000 people, is an autonomous territory but Copenhagen controls its law enforcement, monetary policy, foreign affairs, defence and security policy.

However, with its capital closer to New York than Copenhagen, Greenland is in the United States’ “zone of interest,” historian Astrid Andersen, of the Danish Institute of International Studies, said.

During World War II, when Denmark was occupied by Germany “the US took over Greenland. In a sense they have never left,” she explained.

The United States has one active military base there. The Pituffik space base was used during the Cold War as a warning post for possible Soviet attacks and is still an essential part of the US missile defence infrastructure.

Agencies