German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for a stronger NATO presence in Greenland in an interview with RND because of the danger of “border changes“.
“Borders cannot be changed by force. This principle must apply to everyone. Incidentally, climate change is changing the Arctic region, opening up new shipping routes in which China and Russia are very interested. So there are legitimate security issues that we need to discuss with each other within NATO. "In my opinion, we should increase NATO's presence in Greenland," Scholz said.
The chancellor called for "to keep our backs straight and speak clearly when a small country like Denmark is facing a challenge", but stressed the need to maintain good relations with the United States.
"What is important to me is that the United States is our most important ally. Transatlantic cooperation is of paramount importance. That is why we will continue to do everything we can to maintain good relations. Even when things get difficult," he added.
Earlier, Donald Trump expressed the opinion that Greenland should join the United States. He promised to impose high trade tariffs on Denmark if it does not give up the island, and then threatened to use troops to seize it by force.
Greenland is part of Denmark as an autonomous territory. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen, in addition to their commitments to the NATO alliance, signed the Greenland Defense Treaty. Under it, the United States undertook to defend the island from aggression.