The NATO members have opened diplomatic missions after US President Donald Trump renewed his push to acquire the autonomous Danish territory
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand speaks to reporters after opening a consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, February 6, 2026. © Christinne Muschi / The Canadian Press via AP
[RT] Canada
and France have established consulates in Greenland amid a rift between
the US and other NATO member states over the Danish-controlled
autonomous territory.
US President Donald Trump recently
reiterated his demand that the strategically located island become part
of the US. He has cited supposed Russian and Chinese threats to the
Arctic territory – which both Moscow and Beijing have dismissed.
Denmark, along with several other European nations, has rejected the
Trump administration’s push to take possession of Greenland.
On
Saturday, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand met with her Danish and
Greenlandic counterparts, Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Vivian Motzfeldt, in
Nuuk. During her visit, Anand opened Canada’s new consulate in
Greenland’s capital.
The Canadian diplomat reaffirmed Ottawa’s “support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Greenland and of the Kingdom of Denmark,” as quoted by the Foreign Ministry.
A
day earlier, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot officially
assumed the office of French Consul General in Greenland. A statement by
the Foreign Ministry noted that France is the “first European Union country to set up a consulate general” on the Danish-governed island.
“France reiterates its commitment to respect for the Kingdom of Denmark’s territorial integrity,” the ministry said.
Last month, Denmark launched a military exercise in Greenland, with
Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, and the UK sending symbolic contingents
of up to 15 personnel each.
After several European leaders,
including French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir
Starmer, reaffirmed support for Denmark last month, Trump threatened
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and
Finland with tariffs.
The US president dropped his threat shortly thereafter, saying he agreed on the “framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland” with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte – with no details forthcoming to date.
Last
month, Rasmus Jarlov, the chair of Denmark’s parliamentary defense
committee, said Russia and China pose no threat to Greenland – an
assessment echoed by EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov similarly said Washington is “well aware” that neither Russia nor China has plans regarding the island.