French President Emmanuel Macron has sharply criticised Donald Trump’s threats to forcibly annex Greenland, during a landmark six-hour visit that made him the first foreign head of state to set foot on the territory since the US president began issuing provocative statements about taking control of the Arctic island.
“I don’t think that’s what allies do,” Macron said upon arriving in the Danish autonomous territory, a visit described by the Élysée Palace as “a signal in itself”. His trip, made en route to the G7 summit in Canada, was framed as a demonstration of “France’s and the EU’s solidarity” with Greenland, whose strategic and resource-rich landscape has drawn renewed international attention.
The French leader called on European nations to take greater responsibility for Greenland, stressing the region’s growing geopolitical significance and the need to respect its territorial integrity. “It’s important that Denmark and the Europeans commit themselves to this territory, where the strategic stakes are very high and whose territorial integrity must be respected,” Macron said.
Trump, who has repeatedly claimed that the United States requires Greenland for national security purposes, has refused to rule out the use of force to secure the territory. His administration’s posturing has drawn widespread condemnation in both Greenland and Denmark.
Polls show that while the majority of Greenland’s 57,000 inhabitants support independence from Denmark, they overwhelmingly reject any notion of joining the United States. The Danish government has remained resolute, stating that “Greenland is not for sale” and that only Greenlanders can determine their future.
Macron’s itinerary included talks aboard a Danish naval frigate with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen. He was also scheduled to visit a glacier to witness the effects of global warming and to explore ways of involving Greenland in EU development efforts “while respecting its sovereignty”. A planned visit to a hydroelectric plant was cancelled due to time constraints.
Speaking ahead of his arrival, Macron said the visit was aimed at curbing further “preying” on Greenland’s resources and territory. The French president’s trip follows an increasingly assertive US approach to the region, marked by a March visit from Vice-President JD Vance to the Pituffik US military base. Vance criticised Denmark for failing to adequately defend the island, alleging that Copenhagen had neglected Greenland’s security.
Pituffik, strategically located on the shortest missile path between Russia and the US, is a vital node in Washington’s missile defence network. With melting ice unlocking new shipping lanes and exposing rare earth mineral deposits, Greenland’s value on the global stage has soared.
Last week, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to acknowledge the existence of Pentagon contingency plans to seize Greenland by force, but he declined to provide further details during a congressional hearing. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported that American intelligence officials were investigating Greenland’s independence movement and public attitudes toward US involvement in resource extraction.
Denmark, one of Washington’s staunchest European allies, has turned to Paris for military support, placing orders for French-made surface-to-air missile systems. Prime Minister Frederiksen has made several trips to France since Trump’s Greenland remarks, reinforcing diplomatic ties.
According to Florian Vidal of the Paris-based Ifri thinktank, Denmark sees France, the EU’s only nuclear power, as a credible counterweight to an increasingly aggressive United States. “The Trump administration’s more aggressive posture makes the French vision of Europe, one that is more autonomous, appear more reasonable for Denmark. From a Nordic point of view, France is a military power that counts,” Vidal said.
Greenland’s leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen echoed these sentiments, stating in April that American statements regarding the territory had been “disrespectful” and that Greenland “will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone”.
“France’s support,” he added, “has been evident since the first statements about taking our land emerged. It is both necessary and gratifying.”
