French Press: Trump's Threats to Annex Greenland Spark Horror and Highlight European Incompetence

SadaNews - The French press has not been devoid of the Greenland crisis, but it has approached it from various yet overlapping angles, commenting on the European panic over Washington's threats and Europe's inability to defend the island and its lack of readiness for such a scenario.

This report will review the perspectives presented by major French newspapers, such as Le Monde, which stated that Greenland is European and must remain so; Le Figaro, which believes that no one is willing to fight against the United States; La Croix, which headlined that Trump's threats are causing panic in Europe; and Le Parisien, which says that the process has already begun.

Le Monde began with the opinion of former UN Assistant Secretary-General Jean-Marie Guéhenno, who argues that U.S. policy under President Donald Trump reveals that the U.S. is turning into a direct adversary of Europe, no less dangerous than Russia and China.

In his article in the newspaper, Guéhenno considers the U.S. trusteeship over Venezuela as a warning that should awaken Europeans to the reality of new American trends, noting the pressures Europe faces from all directions, as it encounters Russia in a hybrid war, and China, which relies on a mix of conciliatory rhetoric and economic pressure to divide it.

Now, according to Guéhenno, the United States becomes the "third predator" targeting weak Europe, a situation that Europeans find difficult to accept due to the historical ties of the European project to the transatlantic relationship and their reliance on NATO for defense issues, making the idea of building Europe independent of or in confrontation with the U.S. politically and psychologically nearly impossible.

However, the U.S. national security strategy - according to Guéhenno - considers Europe an ideological and geopolitical adversary, as it seeks to curb nationalist trends through law and possesses regulatory and commercial power that could limit American hegemony, particularly in advanced technology areas, and the strengthening of the euro could threaten the dominance of the dollar.

Strength, Not Yielding

On another note, Le Monde warned in its editorial that Greenland has become among the potential targets of U.S. policy under Trump, following what the newspaper describes as the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and thus any attempt to forcibly control the self-governing Danish territory would constitute a dangerous precedent and a direct threat to Europe and NATO.

The editorial reminded that Trump previously proposed in 2019 the idea of buying Greenland as a "real estate deal," but he returned today to transcend the logic of purchase to hint at seizing it by force, viewing that as an insult to Denmark, the traditional and reliable ally of the United States, and a blatant violation of international relations norms.

Le Monde rejected the security justifications presented by the American president, affirming that the defense agreement signed in 1951 allows the United States to maintain a military presence in Greenland to address the Russian and Chinese challenges in the Arctic, and that any amendment should occur through diplomatic channels without infringing on the territory's sovereignty and its ties to Denmark.

The editorial warned that the forcible annexation of Greenland would undermine the essence of NATO and render Article Five meaningless, granting Russia a free strategic victory, and criticized the state of silence and astonishment among Europeans towards repeated American threats, concluding that the policy of appeasement and bowing has led only to further escalation, and that firmness, not yielding, is the only way to restore balance to the transatlantic relationship.

For its part, Le Figaro commented that Greenland's Prime Minister, Múns Frederik Nielsen, is attempting to be the voice of reason by asserting that an invasion of Greenland is not possible, but the thought at this time, when Trump promised to focus on the island within 20 days, should be in worst-case scenarios, even if no one is prepared to fight the United States.

Significant European Concerns

As for La Croix, it saw that Trump's statements regarding the annexation of Greenland have raised significant fears in Europe, as they pose a threat to Arctic security and the stability of NATO and come after a wave of unilateral American actions, such as the raid on Caracas and the kidnapping of the Venezuelan president, prompting Europeans to take the possibility of annexing Greenland more seriously than ever.

Analysts - according to the newspaper - consider Trump's security, strategic, and economic justifications for seizing Greenland to be weak, as the island's security is covered by NATO and the American military presence, and that the mineral resources on the island are difficult to exploit and economically unprofitable. However, some believe that Trump’s motives are to cement his name as the president who expanded U.S. territory.

The newspaper stated that Europeans have reaffirmed their solidarity with Denmark, which holds sovereignty over the island, but Europe, in reality, does not possess significant tools to deter any American actions; thus, it will suffice to remind Washington of international law and will consider symbolic steps such as visiting EU ministers to the island and opening a French consulate in its capital, Nuuk.

La Croix concluded that the situation in Greenland will remain a significant test for the robustness of European and Atlantic alliances, as it tests the balance between maintaining sovereignty and defending regional stability on one hand, and managing relations with the great power on the other.

The Process Has Begun

For its part, Le Parisien viewed that the Greenland file has become, for the Trump administration, a security, political, and geographical issue simultaneously, overlapping with the interests of great powers, which means that there are potential scenarios of conflict and crisis in the Atlantic alliance.

In this context, the newspaper reviewed four potential scenarios for dealing with the crisis, the first being to enhance European defenses in Greenland through NATO to cut off the path to the American national security pretext; the second being Washington resorting to diplomatic and economic pressure, and possibly pushing for a partial independence of Greenland to strike a deal enhancing American presence there.

The Greenland crisis reveals European vulnerability to the United States over strategic sovereignty issues and revives discussion about European defense autonomy and the extent of American influence in the North Atlantic.

The third scenario, being direct military action, i.e., seizing the island by force, was viewed by the newspaper as the least likely, even if it is no longer impossible, and its repercussions would be catastrophic for NATO. However, the fourth scenario of deploying symbolic European forces in Greenland, without confronting the giant American army directly, remains merely a symbolic step.

The newspaper concluded that "the process has already begun" because the United States is pushing to increase its influence on the island, whether through alliances, economic agreements, or political pressures, while Europe struggles to find symbolic and limited means to demonstrate its ability to protect its interests.

Le Parisien concluded that this crisis reveals Europe’s fragility against the United States in strategic sovereignty matters and reignites the debate about European defense autonomy and the extent of American influence in the North Atlantic, positioning Greenland today as a potential hub of diplomatic and strategic conflict that could change the rules of the game in the Arctic and NATO.

Source: French Press