Danish PM: “Europe won’t be blackmailed”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated, “I am pleased with the consistent messages from the rest of the continent: Europe will not be blackmailed.”
Her comments came after a meeting with the eight European countries affected by Trump’s sanctions and new tariffs, which were imposed due to their opposition to the American takeover of the semi-autonomous Danish-controlled island, reports BBC.
Following a joint statement from all eight targeted countries, Frederiksen issued a further response: “The Kingdom of Denmark is receiving great support,” and describing how she has been in “intensive dialogue” with allies including the UK, France and Germany.
She also added, “At the same time, it is now even clearer that this is an issue that reaches far beyond our own borders. We want to co-operate, and it is not we who are seeking conflict.”
Deputy Speaker of the Danish Parliament: “Cheated by a friend”
Lars-Christian Brask, the deputy speaker of the Danish Parliament, who has been speaking to the BBC and says his country is being “cheated by a friend” in relation to Trump’s tariff threats over Greenland.
Asked on the BBC’s The World This Weekend whether Denmark would ever consider selling Greenland to the US, Brask replies: “You cannot sell a population, it’s modern slavery.”
Denmark, which controls the autonomous territory of Greenland, is one of the eight countries Trump has threatened tariffs against “until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.”
He points out that Denmark supported the US with troops in military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and describes Trump’s threat as a “personal vendetta.”
“It will undermine relationships also in the future,” he added. “Can you trust someone that behaves like that towards an ally?”
US President Donald Trump upped his pressure campaign over Greenland and threatened to impose 10% tariffs on eight European countries until “such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase” of the semi-autonomous territory.
