"Trump's Greenland remarks unprecedented, dialogue only way forward": Former Danish envoy to India Freddy Svane

By Ayushi Agarwal
Copenhagen [Denmark], January 7 : Former Danish Ambassador to India Freddy Svane has described US President Donald Trump's repeated comments on Greenland as "unprecedented," and stressed that dialogue remains the only viable way forward.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with ANI, the former envoy said the idea of one NATO country discussing the takeover or purchase of territory belonging to another NATO member was without precedent in modern international relations.
"Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and thereby also part of NATO," Svane said. "So discussions, whether genuine or not -- about one NATO country perhaps taking over or purchasing another country within the NATO family are unprecedented."
Trump reiterated over the weekend that the United States "needs Greenland for security reasons," prompting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to warn that any attack by the US would spell the end of NATO. Svane, however, said he did not foresee such a confrontation.
"I don't believe in this kind of confrontation, and I don't see it coming," he said, adding that US security concerns should be addressed through dialogue rather than public threats or media-driven signalling.
Acknowledging Washington's strategic interests due to its geographic position, the former ambassador said these concerns could be accommodated, but only with full respect for Danish sovereignty and Greenlandic self-rule.
"In the long run, I am pretty sure it will be possible to accommodate whatever interests the US might have, but in full respect of the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark," he said.
He strongly advocated back-channel diplomacy over public exchanges. "Vocal diplomacy, where you use the media and headlines to send signals, is not the best way," Svane said. "You need dialogue -- preferably behind closed doors."
Svane underlined that Greenland's future is a matter solely for its people to decide, echoing Denmark's official position.
"It is for the Greenlandic people themselves to decide what kind of future they want, whether independence, remaining within the Kingdom of Denmark, or another path," he said. "Nobody else."
Notably, the White House said on Tuesday that it is considering "a range of options" to acquire Greenland, and that the use of military is not off the table, CNN reported, citing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday (local time).
According to CNN, Leavitt said that the US President has made it well-known that "acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States" and is important to deter the adversaries in the Arctic region.
"President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it's vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region," she said.
The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief's disposal," Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to CNN.
On January 6, European leaders issued a joint statement pushing back against renewed remarks by US President Donald Trump on Greenland, asserting that security in the Arctic must be addressed collectively.
Emphasising a unified security framework, the statement said, "Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders. These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them."
The leaders further underscored Greenland's political standing, stating, "Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland."
The joint statement followed remarks by US President Donald Trump focusing on Greenland after the ousting of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump once again said that the United States needs Greenland for national security reasons, a day after strikes on Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night, Trump said Greenland was critical to US security due growing presence of Russia and China in the Arctic region.
He said, "We need Greenland. ... It's so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place," Trump said. "We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it."