During the entire visit, U. von der Leyen will send the message that this autonomous territory of Denmark belongs to Europe, not the USA.
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Her agenda includes a boat trip among icebergs, meetings with Greenlandic and Danish officials, and the signing of a joint Greenland and European Union statement.
“We are family,” said U. von der Leyen upon arriving in the island’s capital Nuuk, where she was greeted by Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen and Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
Earlier this year, D. Trump claimed that Washington needed to control Greenland for national security reasons but ultimately rejected the possibility of annexing it by force.
Since then, a working group from Denmark, Greenland, and the USA has been meeting regularly to find ways to cooperate in the future.
After D. Trump’s threats, European countries supported Denmark and Greenland, and in January U. von der Leyen promised huge EU investments in Greenland to strengthen security in the Arctic.
Brussels proposed doubling direct EU aid to Greenland to 530 million euros under another block budget for 2028–2034.
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As the Financial Times wrote, it is expected that during the visit on Sunday and Monday, U. von der Leyen will propose an additional 200 million euros in support.
“Europe is keeping its promises,” she said.
“We are expanding our cooperation in new areas: from better, faster connectivity and clean energy to critical raw materials,” added the EC leader.
Her visit coincides with the start of NATO military exercises “Arctic Shield,” involving soldiers from 10 countries.
The D. Trump administration repeatedly accused Denmark of neglecting Greenland and Arctic security.
Then Copenhagen again began investing in this region, as did NATO, which launched the “Arctic Sentry” mission earlier this year.
“Greenland is becoming increasingly important to the EU as a gateway to the Arctic, also because of its geopolitical position, critical raw materials, and role in ensuring Arctic security,” said Danish Royal Defence College scholar Marc Jacobsen to AFP before the visit.
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