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A bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation on Saturday sought to reassure Denmark and Greenland of their support following President Donald Trump’s threat to punish countries with tariffs if they don\u2019t back the U.S. taking over the strategic Arctic island.<\/p>\n
Delegation leader Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, said the current rhetoric around Greenland is causing concern across the Danish kingdom. He said he wants to de-escalate the situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope that the people of the Kingdom of Denmark do not abandon their faith in the American people,\u201d Coons said in Copenhagen, adding that the U.S. has respect for Denmark and NATO \u201cfor all we\u2019ve done together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Danish Major Gen. S\u00f8ren Andersen, leader of the Joint Arctic Command, told The Associated Press that Denmark does not expect the U.S. military to attack Greenland, or any other NATO ally, and that European troops were recently deployed to Nuuk for Arctic defense training.<\/p>\n
He said the goal isn\u2019t to send a message to the Trump administration, even through the White House hasn\u2019t ruled out taking the territory by force.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will not go into the political part, but I will say that I would never expect a NATO country to attack another NATO country,\u201d he told the AP on Saturday aboard a Danish military vessel docked in Nuuk. \u201cFor us, for me, it\u2019s not about signaling. It is actually about training military units, working together with allies.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Danish military organized a planning meeting Friday in Greenland with NATO allies, including the U.S., to discuss Arctic security on the alliance\u2019s northern flank in the face of a potential Russian threat. The Americans were also invited to participate in Operation Arctic Endurance in Greenland in the coming days, Andersen said.<\/p>\n
In his 2 1\/2 years as a commander in Greenland, Andersen said he has not seen any Chinese or Russian combat vessels or warships despite Trump’s claims that they were off the island’s coast.<\/p>\n
But in the unlikely event of American troops using force on Danish soil, Andersen confirmed a Cold War-era law governing Danish rules of engagement.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you are right that it is Danish law that a Danish soldier, if attacked, has the obligation to fight back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Thousands of people marched through Copenhagen, many of them carrying Greenland\u2019s flag, on Saturday afternoon in support of the self-governing island. Others held signs with slogans like \u201cMake America Smart Again\u201d and \u201cHands Off.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is important for the whole world,\u201d Danish protester Elise Riechie told The Associated Press as she held Danish and Greenlandic flags. \u201cThere are many small countries. None of them are for sale.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other rallies were planned in Nuuk, the Greenlandic capital, and elsewhere in the Danish kingdom.<\/p>\n
Coons\u2019 comments contrasted with that emanating from the White House. Trump has sought to justify his calls for a U.S. takeover by repeatedly claiming that China and Russia have their own designs on Greenland, which holds vast untapped reserves of critical minerals. The White House hasn\u2019t ruled out taking the territory by force.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are no current security threats to Greenland,\u201d Coons said.<\/p>\n
Trump for months has insisted that the U.S. should control Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, and said earlier this week that anything less than the Arctic island being in U.S. hands would be \u201cunacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
During an unrelated event at the White House about rural health care, he recounted Friday how he had threatened European allies with tariffs on pharmaceuticals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI may do that for Greenland, too,\u201d Trump said. \u201cI may put a tariff on countries if they don\u2019t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He had not previously mentioned using tariffs to try to force the issue.<\/p>\n
Earlier this week, the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland met in Washington with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.<\/p>\n
That encounter didn\u2019t resolve the deep differences, but did produce an agreement to set up a working group \u2014 on whose purpose Denmark and the White House then offered sharply diverging public views.<\/p>\n
European leaders have insisted it is only for Denmark and Greenland to decide on matters concerning the territory, and Denmark said this week that it was increasing its military presence in Greenland in cooperation with allies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is almost no better ally to the United States than Denmark,\u201d Coons said. \u201cIf we do things that cause Danes to question whether we can be counted on as a NATO ally, why would any other country seek to be our ally or believe in our representations?\u201d<\/p>\n
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com<\/p>\n
#Danish #general #doesnt #expect #U.S #attack #deployment #European #troops #Greenland #working #allies<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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