Europe backs Denmark over President Trump's threats to annex Greenland | Global News Podcast

Welcome to the Global News podcast on. YouTube, where we go behind the. headlines to find out more about a story. and why it matters. Today, as President. Donald Trump doubles down on his. territorial ambitions for Greenland, European leaders have united to declare. firmly that the territory is out of. bounds. France, Germany, Britain, and others. have said that Greenland belongs to its. people and that only Denmark and. Greenland themselves can decide what. happens to it. But, will a united.

European front be enough to warn off. President Trump? We're joined now by our correspondent. James Waterhouse, who is in Paris for. us. James, let's start off with this. statement from European leaders. Why are. they making this now? Uh they they seem to have felt the need. to put this statement out. because of Donald Trump's repeated. claims of wanting to annex Greenland. Um we are seeing an increasing number of.

senior White House figures refusing to. rule out taking the Danish-controlled. territory by force. And so, we have this. highly unusual, to put it mildly, scenario where you've got the ambitions. of NATO's most powerful member. making the rest of the alliance nervous. And, you know, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime. Minister, she said, "Look, if enough is. enough. And if. America does try and and do such a.

thing, then the NATO alliance would be. dead." And we have to remind ourselves. this gathering today is about discussing. concrete military promises for Ukraine. Uh and you know, what Europe's hoping to. do is win over America to say, "Look, we'll stump up what we can militarily. Please help us. in case we do end up in direct. confrontation with Russia." And yet, the. dialogue now, the discourse has been. dominated by the imperial ambitions of. not just Russia, but America as well.

James, it's interesting you're talking. to us in Paris, where European leaders. had gathered to talk about Ukraine, but. clearly. the escalating rhetoric from the. President from President Trump's. administration may be hijacking the. agenda somewhat. It's hard to know what the motives are, but I think if you're seeing European. leaders put out a statement where they. say it is up for the people of Greenland. and Denmark to decide what relations.

Greenland was to build, then. um. then the problem there is that clearly. they see the situation as being urgent. enough. uh for them to have to respond. You. know, in the build-up to this, when. we've been putting in questions, trying. to find out about the details of this. summit and the agenda, you know, the. organizers are very keen to keep it. about Ukraine and what help the. Ukrainian military. are going to get in the long term. And. yet, by putting out this statement, that. is now impossible. They have to. acknowledge that America uh and its.

claims of wanting to annex Denmark now. carry, frankly, more weight after the. extraordinary US intervention we've seen. in Venezuela. And I think what Venezuela. also reminds us of. is the military might of America. We. talk about it a lot with the context of. Ukraine and what it can provide. But, when you look at the operation that was. performed uh in Venezuela, that is what. Europe wants to see more of here. They. want such a capability, such a backstop. uh as they prepare to face Russian.

aggression in the long term. James, we've heard from the German. Foreign Minister today saying that no. matter what, Greenland would come under. NATO's Article 5 security guarantee. What do we know about how NATO could. possibly defend itself. from its, as you say, its most powerful, important founding member? It couldn't. You know, you you you I think, you know,

that idea of collective defense against. America, uh if a member NATO member was to be. annexed in such a way, is something that. could not be countered militarily. And. that is reflected by this diplomatic. road show we continue to see ourselves. in. You know, the European Union, for. example, has pledged to spend trillions. of euros over the next decade or two to. increase its defense spending, to. increase domestic ammunition production, weaponry, armored vehicles, and the. like.

But, it still acknowledges that it needs. America's intelligence, its air. superiority, and the scale and quality. of what it can provide. It can't match. the US, and that is a product of a. post-World. War era. Um and so, you know, in. practice, if America was to do the. extraordinary thing of of grabbing. Greenland by force, an ally, uh then. there's very little uh Europe could do. about it, to be frank. And also, you.

know, Denmark is an ally of America as. things stand. It's in the NATO alliance. If America wanted to increase its. military presence there on the territory. significantly, it's hard to imagine. Copenhagen not going for that. Um and. so, you know, I think the argument here. is one of principle. And I think. actually, you know, whilst Europe. wouldn't be able to respond militarily, it would mark the end of the alliance. and the trust in it. And, you know, what. do you think Russia would make of that? I don't think the Kremlin would believe.

its luck seeing how the West is. fracturing over the original question of. how to support Ukraine, the country it's. still invading. James, speaking of Russia, Trump has. said several times that Greenland is. obviously very strategic in its. strategic Arctic Arctic zone, which. there is stiff competition between the. US and Russia and China. This rapidly deteriorating relationship. between America and its allies in. Europe, surely that is not in its long-term.

interest if it wants to see off. competition from Russia and China. It's hard to kind of read the motives. beyond its its kind of the military. advantages of of of of Greenland. I. mean, clearly, yes, there is. competition. There is there are security. concerns on the North Pole. There have. been for for a very long time among the. NATO alliance. But, I think for European. leaders, what's most concerning. is how America has been so ready to. negotiate, engage with Russia directly.

And if you take that in conjunction with. what we've seen in South America and. Donald Trump deciding that he is indeed. an interventionist on the Western. Hemisphere where it suits him, that. amounts, I think, to a carving up that. makes Europe feel increasingly. uncomfortable. Um so, I think that. for America, this is looking about. influence, immediate influence. Donald. Trump is making that increasingly clear. Uh and if the NATO alliance and. certainly his relationship with Europe.

is a is a is collateral damage, perhaps for the White House it's. acceptable collateral damage. I mean, a. lot can happen behind the closed doors. of the Elysée Palace, but you know, this. is not a start many would have. predicted, where you have European. leaders have to put out a joint. statement in a collective support of a. European country and its territorial. sovereignty. in the face of, you know, I'm I'm not going to say aggression, but. certainly assertive statements from one.

of its own. James, for many years now, nations around the world have tried to. tell the difference between Trumpian. bluster. and words that lead to actions. And. let's say if President Trump makes good. on his. uh threats to move forward on his. territorial ambitions for Greenland, the. consequences could be punitive for. America. The EU is a very important. trading ally. The the US sends a lot of.

arms and and military equipment to to. Europe. Do you get a sense that the. Trump administration has perhaps passed. the risk passed the risks of alienating. its allies in this way? I don't think we're there yet, because, you know, Europe is is is still the. relative minnow. I mean, you're right, it's an economic powerhouse. It could it. could make America feel pain with access. to to markets. It could affect the the. strength of the dollar, for example. But, we're talking about security. Now,

you know, you're seeing, for example, Sajid Javid, the UK Prime Minister, he's. walking up with Emmanuel Macron smiling. Um there is senior representation from. the US here with Steve Witkoff, the. senior envoy, and Jared Kushner, Donald. Trump's son-in-law. And, you know, the. question for Europe now is how much for. how much longer can they carry on with. charm? There is too much at stake for. them to completely abandon on that. strategy. But, there will be growing. calls, certainly not least from Denmark, if Greenland looks increasingly.

perilous, there will be increasing calls. for that for a shift in strategy, to go. from charm to more condemnation. And I. think, you know, in the past with Donald. Trump and that brinkmanship you talk. about, you know, it it has produced. increased defense spending in Europe. The continent is seemingly trying to do. what it can. But, with Greenland, it's. hard to see what it is trying to. leverage, given that that Denmark is an. ally. And so, I think that is a is a is. a worrying uncertainty, and it is why. European leaders have said, "Mr.

President, enough.". All right. Thanks, James. That's our. correspondent in Paris, James. Waterhouse. You can hear more of this story on the. Global News podcast. You can find that. wherever you listen to your podcasts. If. you liked this episode, do subscribe to. us here on YouTube. And if you'd like us. to cover any more stories, do let us. know in the comments below. Thanks for. watching.