IRIA News

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European leaders rallied behind Denmark and Greenland, asserting the Arctic island’s sovereignty as their own, as diplomatic activity in Paris brought together U.S., Ukrainian, and European officials for talks aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The coordinated European stance on Greenland emerged amid renewed statements by U.S. President Donald Trump, who expressed interest in gaining control of the strategically located territory, underscoring broader strains within the transatlantic relationship even as allies sought unity on Ukraine.

In a joint statement, the leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark said Greenland belongs to its people and that decisions concerning the island can only be made by Denmark and Greenland themselves.

Canada and the Netherlands also endorsed the declaration. The leaders stressed that security in the Arctic must be addressed collectively within NATO, including the United States, and reiterated that the region has become a strategic priority for the alliance.

“Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” the statement said, adding that NATO has made clear the Arctic’s growing importance and that European allies are increasing their contributions.

Joint Statement on Greenlandhttps://t.co/ORMWHpKEJt pic.twitter.com/wu1SdF1INN

— Statsministeriet (@Statsmin) January 6, 2026

Trump has in recent days repeated that he wants to gain control of Greenland, arguing it is vital for U.S. military interests and claiming Denmark has failed to adequately protect it.

In a recent interview, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller dismissed Danish sovereignty, saying, “You can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else. But we live in a world, in the real world, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power.”

Denmark rejected the U.S.’s claims and rebutted strictly.  Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Copenhagen trusts its NATO membership and dismissed claims that Greenland is overrun with Chinese investments or military activity.

“We do not share this image that Greenland is plastered with Chinese investments … nor that there are Chinese warships up and down along Greenland,” he said, adding that the United States was welcome to invest more in the island.

Greenland’s government said it had requested an urgent meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alongside Rasmussen, to discuss the situation. Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the European show of support and renewed his call for a “respectful dialogue” with Washington, stressing that Greenland does not want to become part of the United States.

Denmark has sought to counter U.S. criticism by pledging $6.58 billion to boost its military presence in the Arctic. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also warned that threats between NATO members would undermine the alliance. “No member should attack or threaten another member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Otherwise, NATO would lose its meaning,” he said.

Nordic foreign ministers from Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark echoed the message, underlining Greenland’s right to determine its own future while offering to deepen cooperation on Arctic security with the United States and other NATO allies.

Paris Diplomacy Shifts to Ukraine Peace Efforts

As the Greenland dispute dominated political headlines, Paris also hosted a new round of high-stakes diplomacy on Ukraine, with U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators meeting to address what Kyiv described as the most difficult issues standing in the way of a ceasefire with Russia.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner represented Washington in the talks, which followed a breakthrough in European-led discussions on security guarantees for Ukraine. European diplomatic sources said representatives from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Turkey were also involved.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the talks would focus on territorial disputes in eastern Ukraine and the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which remains under Russian occupation.

“The most difficult issues from the basic framework for ending the war will be discussed,” he said, stressing that pressure on Moscow remains essential.

“Peace must be dignified. And this depends on the partners, on whether they ensure Russia’s real readiness to end the war,” Zelenskyy said.

Kyrylo Budanov, Zelenskyy’s newly appointed chief of staff and former intelligence chief, said there had already been “concrete results” from the discussions, though he cautioned that not all details could be made public.

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s Western allies agreed on a set of security guarantees for Kyiv, including a U.S.-led monitoring mechanism and a European multinational force that would be deployed after a ceasefire.

France and the United Kingdom said they were prepared to establish a troop presence in Ukraine to deter future aggression, while Germany signaled it could play a role in securing a peace settlement, though Chancellor Friedrich Merz stopped short of committing to deployments inside Ukraine.

Merz’s comments sparked debate at home, with critics across the political spectrum warning that European governments remain vague about the scope and legal basis of their commitments. Sören Pellmann, co-leader of Germany’s Left Party in parliament, said allies had yet to clearly define what security guarantees would mean in practice.

Zelenskyy acknowledged the uncertainty, saying he had not received a “clear, unequivocal answer” on whether allies would respond militarily to a renewed Russian invasion. “There is political will to give us strong security guarantees,” he said. “But until we have such guarantees, legal ones, backed by parliaments, backed by the United States Congress, we cannot answer this question.”

Fighting continues across the front lines, and Moscow’s negotiating position remains unclear. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said he opposes the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine, a stance that complicates discussions over post-war security arrangements.