BERLIN – The top EU military official, Mr Robert Brieger, said that it would make sense to station troops from member countries in Greenland, according to an interview with Germany’s Welt am Sonntag that was published on Jan 25.
US President Donald Trump has expressed interest in acquiring the Danish territory.
“In my view, 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,” the chairman of the EU Military Committee added.
Ultimately, such a step would require a political decision, the Austrian-born general said.
The military committee, the highest military office of the European Council, serves as a consultative body since the bloc has no dedicated army.
The US-led Nato is the main military alliance for the EU.
Although Greenland – as an overseas territory of Denmark – is not part of the EU, Europeans, as well as the US, have interests in Greenland, the general added, citing its raw materials and strategic location.
“However, with increasing ice melt as a result of climate change, this also creates a certain potential for tension with Russia and possibly China,” he noted.
Mr Trump has expressed an interest in making Greenland part of the US.
He has not ruled out using military or economic power to persuade Denmark to hand it over.
Greenland’s strategic location along the shortest route from Europe to North America, vital for the US ballistic missile warning system, has made it a priority for Mr Trump.
Mr Brieger said he hopes the US, as a member of the United Nations, would respect the inviolability of borders as stipulated in the UN Charter. REUTERS
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Publish date : 2025-01-24 19:24:00
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