French President Emmanuel Macron accused the United States of disrespecting international law and distancing itself from its partners just days after the US capture and removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in addition to the American threat to take control of Greenland.
Macron told French ambassadors in Paris, this Thursday (8), that the USA “is a consolidated power, but that it is gradually moving away from some allies and breaking with international rules”.
Trump has long argued that the US needs to control Greenland to ensure the country’s security. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said earlier this week that if Trump attacked Greenland, it would mean the end of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).
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Trump’s increasingly strong comments about seizing Greenland, shortly after the US operation to capture Maduro on January 3, have European leaders calling on the American president to respect Denmark’s sovereignty.
“We are involved in a very strange game, where we, French and Europeans, are the target of anti-colonial rhetoric that no longer corresponds to reality,” said Macron. “Every day people ask themselves whether Greenland will be invaded, whether Canada will become the 51st state of the USA or whether Taiwan will be further encircled.”
Earlier this week, Macron said he sees “no scenario” in which the US violates Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland. He had already suggested holding joint exercises to improve security in the region.
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On Wednesday (7), former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, known for having opposed the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 and a possible candidate for president next year, told Bloomberg that any aggression on European soil would make the USA an enemy.
Macron ended his speech by saying that he rejects “the new colonialism and the new imperialism, as well as submission and defeatism”, reinforcing his request for Europe to value products made on the continent and simplify bureaucracy.
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