Even with the direction of Venezuela among his pending tasks, the gaze of the American president, Donald Trumpit didn’t take long to move towards Greenland. Since the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, the Republican has cast a pall of uncertainty over the fate of countries in the Western Hemisphere, with Cuba, Colombia or Mexico under the spotlight, but it has been the Arctic island that has dominated the expansionist will of the US Administration. To appease Trump’s concerns about the “national security” of the United States in the face of a possible advance by Russia and China in the region, the european countries They have begun to consider their options. Among them is a military reinforcement on the island aimed at containing the Eurasian powers and dissuading Trump from his ambitions in Greenland, but also the creation of a European army.
One of the main reasons that Trump has used to justify his desire to take control of the largest island in the world is the security of the United States and the Western Hemisphere, which he intends to convert into his sphere of influence. “We’re going to do something in Greenland, whether you like it or not.because if we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland and we are not going to have Russia or China as neighbors,” the president said this Friday before the media. “We are not going to allow Russia or China to occupy Greenland, and that is what is going to happen if we do not own it,” he added during the public part of a meeting with oil and gas executives.
Following the path of Trump, the American vice president, JD Vancehighlighted the strategic importance of Greenland in an interview with Fox News and cited the island’s essential role in the West’s missile defense infrastructure. However, Vance went further and blamed Europe for not offering sufficient guarantees for security in the Arctic. “Then you ask yourself: ‘Have the Europeans or the Danes done an adequate job securing Greenland and ensuring that it can continue to serve as an anchor for global security and missile defense?’ AND The answer is, obviously, that they haven’t.”, he stated.
United Kingdom proposes a military deployment
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmerappears to have taken note of Vance’s accusations and, according to British government sources cited by The Telegraphconcerned about the Russian and Chinese threat to security, has ordered to start talks with European alliesamong them France and Germanyon a possible military deployment in Greenland. The idea, which began to be discussed at a meeting of the Atlantic Alliance in Brussels last Thursday, seeks to appease American concerns by deploying European forces on the island’s first line of defense and, at the same time, curb Trump’s intentions to annex it.
The initiative is in preliminary stages, but could involve a large-scale troop deployment, one-off military exercises, intelligence sharing or reorientation of defense spending towards the protection of the Arctic. Likewise, official sources have explained to The Telegraph that all the tools, from troops until warships and airplanesare on the table.
In any case, this operation would be carried out within the framework of a possible mission of the I’LL TAKEwho faces a existential crisis in the face of threats from one member of the Alliance, the United States, towards another, Denmark, the country to which the island belongs. Meanwhile, the military alliance has sought to Washington loses interest in Greenlandin a strategy aligned with the efforts of the United Kingdom. NATO Secretary General Mark Ruttewho has not shown a forceful response to Trump’s rhetoric, had a conversation this Friday with the head of American diplomacy, Marco Rubioon “the importance of the Arctic for common security and on the way in which NATO works to strengthen its capabilities in the Great North”, as indicated by a spokeswoman for the Atlantic Alliance.
Skepticism in the EU
However, the friendly stance in the face of Trump’s warnings does not convince all European allies. The European Commissioner for Defence, Andrius Kubiliushas stated that the EU should move forward in creating a “European military force” powerful and permanent 100,000 personnel as an option to better protect the continent. The idea of a European army is not new, but the conditions of uncertainty that Europe is currently experiencing are, marked by a diffuse relationship with Washington since Trump’s return to the Oval Office.
In that sense, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jose Manuel Albaresagrees with this proposal and affirms that, faced with “an attempt to change the rules of the international order”, Europe must become aware “of its own strength” and reaffirm its principles. Therefore, tovogue for advancing towards a European army that reduces dependence on third parties, according to an interview for EFE.
Other ways to confront the White House’s intentions are also being considered in Brussels. In it European ParliamentMEPs from the centre-left, liberal, green and left groups have proposed freeze the trade agreement that the president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyennegotiated directly with Trump last July, in response to the Republican’s rhetoric.
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