"Greenland belongs to its people and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters related to their relations," the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark said in a joint statement.
On Sunday, Donald Trump declared that the US “needs” Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark and another NATO member, for security reasons. He refused to rule out the use of force to take control of the territory, while Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Monday that a US attack would spell the end of NATO.
NATO is a transatlantic military alliance, where members commit to assisting each other in the event of an external attack.
The question of Greenland's future came back into focus after the US military intervention in Venezuela, during which elite forces captured President Nicolás Maduro and took him to New York to face charges of drug and arms trafficking. After the operation, Trump declared that the US would "run" Venezuela for an indefinite period.
He added that the US was returning to the 1823 policy of American supremacy in the Western Hemisphere and warned that other countries could also become the object of American attention.
According to the BBC , the standoff in Venezuela has revived fears that the US could consider using force to secure control of Greenland. A day after the intervention, Katie Miller, the wife of one of Trump's top aides, posted on social media a map of Greenland painted with the American flag, accompanied by the word "SOON".
On Monday, her husband, Stephen Miller, declared that it was “the formal position of the US government that Greenland be part of the US.” In an interview with CNN, he said that the US is “the leading power of NATO” and that, to ensure security in the Arctic and protect the interests of the alliance, Greenland “must be part of the US.”
Repeatedly asked whether Washington would rule out the use of force to annex the territory, Miller replied: "Nobody is going to fight the US over the future of Greenland."
In Tuesday's joint statement, the seven European leaders stressed that they are as committed as the US to security in the Arctic, but that this must be achieved collectively by NATO allies, respecting the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.
Greenland's Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, welcomed the statement and called for "respectful dialogue."
"The dialogue must take place while respecting the fact that Greenland's status is rooted in international law and the principle of territorial integrity," Nielsen said.
Trump has argued that including Greenland in the US would serve American security interests because of its strategic position and rich reserves of minerals critical to advanced technologies.
The Trump administration's recent decision to appoint a special envoy to Greenland sparked strong reactions in Denmark.
Greenland, with about 57,000 inhabitants, has enjoyed broad self-government since 1979, although defense and foreign policy remain the responsibility of Denmark. While most residents support eventual independence from Denmark, polls show overwhelming opposition to union with the United States.
