US Secretary of State Rubio said he will meet with Danish officials next week, but made it clear he will not deviate from US President Donald Trump’s goal of taking over Greenland, Reuters reported, the move has alarmed allies such as France and Germany, which are discussing how to respond. The report said that if the United States takes the mineral-rich Arctic island from its long-time ally Denmark by military means, it will have a strong impact on the NATO alliance, further intensifying the rift between Trump and European leaders.
File Photo: a ship sails in the bay at Nuuk, Greenland.
Rubio told reporters at the parliament building that he plans to meet with Danish officials next week to discuss the U. S. request for Greenland. Asked if the US was willing to risk NATO by taking Greenland by force, rubio responded: “As a diplomat-that is my current role and our duty-we always prefer to solve problems through other means.” He added: “Every president always keeps the option of using military force, but we always prefer to solve problems in other ways,” he said. On the same day, White House Press Secretary Leavitt said Trump and his national security team are actively negotiating a possible U. S. takeover of Greenland. “For President Trump, all options are always on the table. . . diplomacy is always the president’s number one option,” Levitt told a regular news conference
Earlier on the 7th, local time, French Foreign Minister Jean-noel Barro said he would meet with his German and Polish counterparts later in the day and would raise the matter at that time. “We are interested in taking action, but we have to do it in concert with our European Partners,” he told Radio France Internationale, the US was acting against its own interests by attacking another NATO country. Another German government source said Germany was“Working closely with other European countries and Denmark to consult on follow-up measures in relation to Greenland”. A senior European official, who asked not to be named, said Denmark had to take the lead in co-ordinating the response but that“The Danish side has not yet informed the European allies of the specific support it wants”.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to take Greenland since taking office, and his comments in recent days have drawn strong opposition from Denmark and other European countries. Leaders of major European powers and Canada expressed their support for Greenland this week. Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement on the 6th, stressing that Greenland belongs to its people and that only Denmark and Greenland can decide their own affairs. The chairman of the Finnish Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, Johannes Koskinen, called for the issue to be raised within the NATO framework. NATO allies, he said, should“Explore whether action is needed and whether the US should be constrained from ignoring agreed solutions in pursuit of its hegemonic ambitions”.
The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, said the EU would offer support to Greenland and Denmark if necessary and would not accept it wherever violations of international law occurred.
According to the Daily Telegraph of July 7, the Danish Ministry of Defence has confirmed that under its current rules of engagement, if the US invades Greenland, Danish soldiers can“Shoot first and ask for instructions later”. Danish Ministry of Defense in response to the Danish“Berlin Times” reporter enquiry confirmed that a military regulations promulgated in 1952 is currently“Still in force. This provision requires that, in the event of a foreign invasion, “The forces attacked must be immediately engaged in combat without waiting or seeking orders, even if the relevant commander has not been informed of the declaration of war or the state of war”.
Reuters reported on the 7th that both Democratic and Republican U.S. Senators said on the same day that they expected the Senate would eventually vote on a bill, the bill is intended to limit the president’s ability to wrest Greenland from its longtime ally Denmark. Senator Tim Cain, Democrat of Virginia, has spearheaded resolutions to try to limit the use of force by the president of the United States without congressional approval. “The war powers resolutions against Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, Nigeria and Greenland will be introduced in quick succession,” he said. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill on Tuesday.
Kentucky Republican Sen. Paul said he hasn’t heard any of his fellow Republicans come out in favor of taking Greenland militarily. He said such sabre-rattling would be unhelpful if Washington were interested in acquiring the mineral-rich Arctic Island. “If I were interested in acquiring Greenland, I would go there and do a public relations campaign and deliver a lot of benefits,” Paul said. “I would talk to the people of Greenland about how they would retain their independence as part of the U.S. — how they would be protected by the U.S. defense umbrella, how they would enjoy security, and how they would have real economic benefits.” Cain, Paul and other members of the House of Representatives cited the U.S. Constitution, which states that“Only Congress, not the president, has the power to declare war.” Attempts in recent months to push through a resolution to stop Trump from using military force against Venezuela without congressional authorization have failed.