Brussels has “interests” on the island just like Washington, Gen. Robert Brieger has said, pointing to tensions with Russia and China
The European Union should deploy military forces in Greenland, the chairman of the EU Military Committee (EUMC), Gen. Robert Brieger, said in an interview published Saturday. He cited Greenland’s geopolitical importance and “tensions” with Russia and China as the reason for his suggestion. It comes as US President Donald Trump has been laying claim to the island.
”It would make perfect sense not only to station US forces in Greenland, as has been the case to date, but also to consider stationing EU soldiers there in the future,” Brieger told Die Welt, referring to a major US military base that has been there since the early 1940s.
Such a deployment would “send a strong signal and could contribute to stability in the region,” believes the former Austrian chief of staff, who currently leads a body that includes the chiefs of staff of EU member states. Brieger said that although the autonomous Danish territory is not legally a part of the bloc, “the Europeans – just like the USA – have interests in Greenland.”
The general cited rich deposits of raw materials on the island and its proximity to international trade routes, calling it an area of “great importance from a geopolitical point of view.” He also described the territory as “highly relevant from a security policy perspective.”
Referring to US claims on the island, Brieger said that he expected Washington to respect the territorial integrity of other nations and the UN Charter. Instead, the general drew attention to potential “tension with Russia and possibly China” in the area if the polar ice caps continue to melt due to climate change.
Greenland has been grabbing headlines recently as Trump has repeatedly claimed that ownership of Denmark’s mineral-rich Arctic island is necessary for US national security. Earlier this month, he refused to rule out a military solution.
Brussels responded to Trump’s comments by describing a potential US attack as a “highly theoretical issue.” Trump’s desire to acquire the island has reportedly sparked concern in Copenhagen.
On Friday, Financial Times reported that the US president’s aggressive way of pushing the idea in a phone call with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen earlier this month triggered panic in the Nordic nation’s capital. The paper’s sources described the 45-minute-long conversation as “horrendous” and compared it to “a cold shower.”
Frederiksen reportedly reiterated Denmark’s stance that the island is not for sale. Earlier this week, a Danish politician, Anders Vistisen, took the floor of the EU parliament in Strasbourg and told Trump to “f**k off,” voicing his opposition to the idea of the US acquiring Greenland.
Some Republicans in Congress have at least entertained the idea. GOP Congressman Andy Ogles introduced a bill to allow Trump to acquire Greenland, saying the US should be the “dominant predator.” He dubbed the bill ‘Make Greenland Great Again’. Carla Sands, Trump’s former ambassador to Denmark, has also publicly backed the proposal, arguing that Denmark cannot adequately defend the island and suggesting that US control would be a “common-sense solution.”
