Europe is unable to confront Trump due to a lack of resources and resolve.
The website of the French newspaper Le Parisien wrote: After the surprise US operation in Venezuela, US President Donald Trump is now eyeing Greenland, a Danish territory. This threat to a European ally, a NATO member, is unprecedented.
After the US attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of its president, Trump reiterated that “Greenland will be taken care of in about two months… Let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days.”
This comment was made while Denmark is a long-standing and traditional US ally and supplies most of its weapons from Washington. For example, in the midst of tensions between the US and Denmark, the country purchased three patrol aircraft from the US a few days ago.
This kingdom, which also includes the Faroe Islands and Greenland, has been a member of NATO since its inception. The US supposedly protects all NATO member states, but this is the first time it has threatened a member.
Asked whether the United States could seize Greenland, he said: “The likelihood of annexation by force remains low. Congress will not show much interest in this issue, because this territory is considered a sovereign territory of a united country. But the US government will try to obtain this territory through threats and intimidation.”
According to this expert, the US is probably considering a deal along the lines of: either you give us this territory, or we will withdraw from some NATO bases, impose more economic sanctions, and sell you Ukrainian weapons at higher prices… Trump has many ways to make our lives difficult, and this is shocking for Europeans.
In response to the question, “There is a lot of talk about the Russian threat; has Europe underestimated the US threat?” he replied: “The Americans are imposing their powerful behavior on European allies.” They exerted economic pressure, but never threatened our territorial integrity. The United States has adopted the same behavior that the Soviet Union did to its Warsaw Pact allies. Today, the Trump administration is making demands on its European allies that are unprecedented in the past 70 years.
Asked whether the shock of Trump’s statements will wake up the European Union, Oderand said: “The main problem in Europe is the lack of a single position and the existence of divisions. The arrest of Nicolás Maduro exposed this; countries like Poland and Italy support Trump. According to their calculations, to maintain harmony with Washington, one must do anything, including bowing, giving in, and approving all of his crazy plans. Other countries, such as Germany, Britain, and the Netherlands, are in a state of shock and denial, thinking that a mid-term election (in November) or a miracle will happen…
He assessed Paris’s position as weak on France’s response to the US attack on Venezuela, saying: “While we have little room for maneuver in terms of budget, we are in a deadlock. French President Emmanuel Macron is pursuing a strategy of not angering Trump. Thus, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrow has taken a more assertive position, and there has been a division of labor.”
The expert added, “European leaders are very frustrated. It is extremely difficult for allies to condemn each other outright. France did this in 2003 (by opposing the military intervention in Iraq), and this cost the United States 15 years of very difficult relations. It is not yet the right time to repeat it.”
As for “what has changed since 2003?”, Odrende said: “The attitude of the Americans was very different at that time.” They made fun of us, but military cooperation continued as if nothing had happened. In the past, the positions were very respectful, and we could get by because we had no fear of our ally, except for a little violence, but that is no longer the case.
Asked whether it would be unthinkable to confront the United States if Greenland were annexed, he said: “No one in Europe would join us in a direct conflict with the United States to defend Greenland, not even Denmark. We have neither the military means to confront them… nor the will to do so.”
He added, “We must accept the mental barrier of small countries that do not own their own destiny. Many of them are ready to sell themselves for the least possible protection. Except the French, the Turks, and, to a lesser extent, the Finns, all are designing their armies to fight under American command. Their satellites provide information, their radars tell us where to go, and their officers plan operations. So, we cannot fight the army that we are usually associated with. We have to react differently and get past the Trump problem.
The independent expert answered the question “How can we prevent a conflict or takeover of Greenland?”: Trump says that the Chinese and Russians have a significant presence in all of Greenland. We have to take his words at face value and answer: we understand the vulnerability of the island, thank you, we intend to strengthen its defense with NATO, and impose sanctions. Like subtle diplomatic pressure on industries and the Big Five American companies (Big Tech/GAFA). 450 million people in Europe are users of the apps. We can give Trump the title of commander of the defense of Denmark; he will be happy. All this will cost us several billion euros, but it will prevent conflict.