Europe will not allow attacks, says France, after Trump Greenland threat

France has said the European Union will not allow other countries to invade its borders, after President Donald Trump refused to block the use of troops to occupy Greenland.

On Tuesday, Trump reiterated his desire to obtain an independent Danish territory, saying it was “necessary” for national security and the economy.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told French radio “there is obviously no doubt that the European Union will allow other countries in the world to attack its borders, whoever they are”.

Barrot said that he does not believe that the US will take over the largest Arctic island, but it is clear that the EU should not allow itself to panic.

Denmark, a longtime ally of the United States, has repeatedly said that Greenland is not for sale and that it belongs to its people.

Greenland’s Prime Minister, Mute Egede, is pushing for independence and has also indicated that the territory is not for sale. He was in Copenhagen on Wednesday.

Trump made the comments at a free press conference at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, less than two weeks before he is sworn in for a second term as president.

Asked if he would rule out using military or economic power to seize Greenland or the Panama Canal, Trump said: “No, I can’t guarantee you either of those two.

“But I can say this, we need them for our financial security.”

Greenland has been home to a US radar base since the Cold War and has been a priority for Washington.

Trump also said the island was important for military operations to target Chinese and Russian ships, which he said were “all over the place”.

“I’m talking about protecting the free world,” he told reporters.

Speaking to French radio station Inter, Barrot said: “If you ask me if I think the United States will attack Greenland, my answer is no.

“Have we entered an era that sees the return of survival of the fittest? So the answer is yes.”

“So, if we allow ourselves to be afraid and overcome by anxiety, clearly not. We must wake up, build our strength.”

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish TV on Tuesday that “Greenland belongs to Greenlanders” and that only the local people can determine its future.

However, he emphasized that Denmark needs closer cooperation with the US, a Nato partner.

Greenland, which is the world’s largest island but has only 57,000 inhabitants, is independent, although its economy is heavily dependent on aid from Copenhagen and is still part of the Danish monarchy.

It also has the world’s largest reserves of rare minerals, which are essential for the production of batteries and advanced devices.

The Danish Broadcasting Corporation’s chief international correspondent Steffen Kretz, who has been reporting from Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, said many people he spoke to were “surprised” by Trump’s suggestion that he could use military force to control the territories.

Although many people in Greenland hoped for independence in the future, he said that there is a wide acceptance that it needs a partner that can provide human services, security and economic base, as Denmark has done now.

“I have never met a person in Greenland who dreams of the island becoming a province of some foreign power like the USA.”

Kretz told the BBC that although the Danish government had tried to “minimise” any conflict with Mr Trump, “I see and realize that this conflict could be the biggest international crisis for Denmark in modern history”.

The president-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr, made a brief visit to Greenland on Tuesday, in what he called a “personal day trip” to address the public.

He then posted a photo with a group of Greenlanders in a bar wearing pro-Trump hats.