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2w ago

Macron Visits Greenland to Pledge European Support Against US Threats

The trip underscores France’s backing for Greenlandic sovereignty through cooperation on Arctic security, climate resilience, regional development.

Homes are built into the rugged landscape on March 12, 2025, in Nuuk, Greenland. The self-ruling Danish territory and world's largest island has been thrust into the geopolitical spotlight as U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to acquire it, citing its strategic value, drawing objections from Danish and Greenlandic leaders. In his State of the Union address, Trump said the US needed Greenland for national security and would "get it one way or the other," but added that he supported Greenlanders' right to determine their own future. The territory holds its general election on March 11.
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France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot looks on as he delivers a speech during a conference at the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) in Paris on June 13, 2025. THIBAUD MORITZ/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
French President Emmanuel Macron holds a news conference at the Élysée Palace in Paris on June 13.

Overview

  • Emmanuel Macron became the first foreign head of state to arrive in Greenland since President Trump’s January threats to annex the island.
  • Greenland’s and Denmark’s leaders have maintained that the territory is not for sale and that its future must be decided by Greenlanders.
  • Macron’s agenda includes discussions on Arctic security, European partnership for regional development and the impact of climate change on Greenland’s melting glaciers.
  • Copenhagen unveiled a $2 billion plan in January to strengthen its military presence in the Arctic as NATO moves to establish a Combined Air Operations Centre in Norway.
  • Vice President JD Vance’s March visit to Greenland was viewed as provocative and followed Trump’s insistence that the United States needs the island for strategic security purposes.