Sir Keir Starmer spoke with US President Donald Trump this evening to discuss mounting tensions over Greenland, amid warnings from Denmark that American military action would spell the end of NATO.
A Downing Street spokesman confirmed the prime minister set out his position on Greenland during the call, which also covered a joint US-UK maritime operation, recent progress on Ukraine and the US operation in Venezuela.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that any US action against Greenland would spell the end of NATO. The territory is part of Denmark, a NATO ally, despite Mr Trump’s vocal desire to annex it.
Fears of US intervention have mounted following the arrest of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in a US raid on Caracas. A White House statement insisted that utilizing the US military is always an option regarding Greenland.
Speaking to Sky’s US partner network NBC News on Monday, Mr Trump stated: “We need it for national security, right now.”
On Tuesday, a joint statement from European allies including the UK reasserted that “Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”
The call between the two leaders also addressed the joint US-UK operation to intercept the Bella 1 tanker, also called Marinera, between Iceland and Scotland on Wednesday. The vessel was falsely flagged as a sanctioned, stateless ship heading to Russia.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated to the Commons that no UK personnel took part in boarding the Bella 1, but UK forces supported the operation at the US request as part of efforts to crack down on sanctions busting.
President Trump has cited the Monroe Doctrine, which he has renamed the Donroe Doctrine after former president James Monroe, leaving the door open to further US interventions in the western hemisphere.
The UK government has not explicitly said whether a US invasion of Greenland would be wrong.
