Trump's annexation of Greenland "would mean the end of NATO," believes US Senator Chris Murphy, the British newspaper "Guardian" headlines, BTA reported.
US President Donald Trump's stated intention to take over Greenland by force represents an existential crisis for NATO, warned senior US Senator from the Democratic Party Murphy, adding that any US military intervention would certainly end the decade-old alliance of Western countries.
"This would be the end of NATO, wouldn't it? NATO should have an obligation to defend Greenland," the senator from Connecticut and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee told NBC television. Murphy added that this would mean "clearly [...] that we would be at war with Europe, with England, with France", the Guardian points out.
Murphy's comments come after Trump stepped up his rhetoric on the Arctic territory and told journalists that "one way or another, he will own Greenland", the British publication notes.
The American head of state has ordered a plan to invade Greenland to be drawn up, the British newspaper "Mail on Sunday" reported, adding that the American military opposes this plan, arguing that it is illegal.
Murphy's claim that the forcible acquisition of Greenland by the United States would mean the end of NATO is shared by political leaders in Europe, in particular by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
Greenland is a former colony of Denmark and remains an autonomous part of the Danish kingdom, with its foreign and security policy under the control of Copenhagen, the Guardian notes.
Frederiksen accused the US of "turning its back on NATO" and said that a planned meeting in Washington tomorrow between the Danish and Greenland foreign ministers - Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Viviane Motzfelt, on the one hand, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on the other, would be of key importance.
"We are at a crossroads and this is a fateful moment," Frederiksen told a political rally.
A bipartisan group of US senators, including Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski, are planning to visit Copenhagen to meet with politicians from the Danish parliament's Greenland committee, the Guardian notes. "Guardian".
Murphy and Frederiksen's pessimistic comments were echoed yesterday by EU Defence Commissioner Andrews Kubilius, who noted that the EU treaty "obliges" member states to come to Denmark's aid if it is the subject of a US military attack.
"I agree with the Danish prime minister that this would be the end of NATO, but there would also be very, very negative reactions among people," the European commissioner told Reuters at a security conference in Sweden.
"A lot will depend on Denmark, how they react, what their position will be, but there is definitely such an obligation for member states to provide mutual assistance if a country is facing military aggression," added Kubilius.
Murphy, for his part, accused Trump of trying to distract the American people with Greenland from other things, including the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the promise that US companies would control Venezuela's oil, and the construction of a ballroom in the White House. home.
"Let's also talk about what's at stake," Murphy said, adding: "The president spends every day thinking about invading Greenland, managing the Venezuelan economy, building a ballroom.".
"He doesn't think about the American people at all. This month, 22 million Americans' health insurance premiums are increasing, in some cases doubling. Children can't eat three meals a day because the Trump administration has cut food assistance," the senator noted.
"So every day, the president thinks about Greenland, his ballroom, Venezuela. He doesn't take the time to think about the real crises that affect American families. This is the basic reality in the White House, which has gotten out of control," the politician summed up.
The Greenland issue is facing NATO with one of the most serious tests in its history, the French newspaper "Le Monde" wrote in its headline.
Against the backdrop of Trump's ambitions, the European NATO member states are trying to defuse the crisis by emphasizing their desire to strengthen security in the Arctic, the French publication points out.
Trump has made no secret of his desire to acquire the mineral-rich Arctic island territory, whether through purchase or agreement with Denmark and Greenland, or through the use of force. Officially, the US president is pursuing this goal to guarantee US security in view of Russia and China's ambitions in the Arctic, notes "Monde".
"If we don't take it, Russia or China will", Trump assured, ignoring his Danish ally, a NATO member.
"If it affects NATO, so be it. But you know, they need us more than we need them, I'm telling you that straight away," Trump said, quoted by the French newspaper.
For now, the allies are still hoping to resolve the issue through diplomatic means. On January 7, Germany, Spain, France, Britain, Italy and Poland expressed their political support for Denmark and Greenland. Mark Rutte, NATO's secretary general, has been more reserved in the wake of Trump's remarks. In Copenhagen, some are wondering why he is silent, Le Monde reports.
To avoid a confrontation with Trump, Rutte has focused on a single issue: security in the Arctic. On Friday, he spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the issue. Rutte, like European NATO members, is calling for more decisive action to defend the area from Russian and Chinese ambitions and is trying to address the US president's concerns.
"Our security and defense are NATO's responsibility. This is a fundamental and unchangeable position," Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said yesterday.
With the melting of the ice, new sea routes connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans are opening up, not only for the Chinese but also for the Russian fleet, and in particular for its submarines, which regularly pass by the coast of Greenland. Monitoring the area is even more strategic for the United States, since seven NATO countries border the Arctic Circle, the French publication notes.
While during the Cold War the United States had several thousand troops in Greenland, it now maintains only one base there with 150 to 200 troops - "Putifique", according to an agreement with Denmark, "Le Monde" indicates.
The allies are conducting "constructive" talks on Greenland, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexis Grinkevich said on Sunday, without giving further details, notes "Monde".