Greenland, its people and European sovereignty are not for sale
Volt Europa urges Europe to stand for its sovereignty, democracy, and the rights of its people.
Volt Europa expresses its deep concern over President Donald Trump’s continued statements regarding Greenland, made most recently at the World Economic Forum in Davos. By once again presenting Greenland’s future as a matter for negotiation or acquisition, in the name of U.S. security, President Trump is normalising the idea that the sovereignty of a democratic territory can be treated as a bargaining chip between powers. Such rhetoric, regardless of whether it is framed as diplomatic rather than military, is unacceptable. Greenland is not for sale, and its future can only be decided by the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark, in full respect of international law and democratic self-determination.
A people is not a product or asset to be traded or bought
President Trump often presents himself as a businessman. But states are not companies, territories are not products, and a people is not an asset to be bought or traded. Greenland is a society, with its own culture, democratic institutions, and aspirations, not a real-estate deal. Treating it as such is an affront to its people and to the principles on which the international order is built.
Attempts to justify annexation on grounds of “US security” or access to critical raw materials do not withstand scrutiny. The United States already maintains a military presence in Greenland, and Denmark has consistently demonstrated its reliability as a NATO ally, paying a disproportionate price in blood in Afghanistan and Iraq, and standing shoulder to shoulder with the US for decades. Moreover, Greenland is open to international economic cooperation and trade. Access to resources does not require coercion. What is at stake here is not security, but sovereignty.
Appeasement is not a strategy
For Europe, this moment is a test of credibility. Competing with each other to be the most accommodating to Trump subverts the act of sovereignty, as Canada’s PM Mark Carney stated so clearly. We cannot continue to speak of mutual benefit when economic integration becomes a mechanism of dependence. What we are witnessing is not a gradual adjustment, but a clear rupture of the Western alliance. Trade, tariffs, financial systems and supply chains are used as tools of pressure and control. In this environment, European countries need to wake up to this new reality and unite. If they don’t, European sovereignty will be nothing more than an illusion.
Europe must be clear, united, and prepared.
Defending sovereignty and democracy is not optional. History shows that giving in to threats and blackmail never leads to anything good. Appeasement only encourages more pressure. That is why firm boundaries should be set. Diplomacy alone is not enough. Europe’s top diplomats have made clear that they are ready to activate the so-called “big bazooka”, levying tariffs on €93bn of US goods, should the United States move from rhetoric to action by imposing 10% tariffs on the eight countries that have deployed troops to Greenland. Europe’s strength lies in its market, its economic weight, and its financial power. The cost of any attempt to annex Greenland must clearly outweigh any perceived benefit.
Economy and national security are more linked than ever
This also requires Europe to finally reduce its strategic dependencies. As long as Europe remains reliant on the United States for defence, technology, and digital infrastructure, it will struggle to act with autonomy or credibility. Strategic autonomy is not anti-American, it is pro-European responsibility.
A stronger Europe makes for stronger alliances
Volt Europa stands firmly with the people of Greenland and Denmark. Greenland may be open for cooperation, but it is not a product, and its people are not for sale. Europe must be clear, united, and prepared, because sovereignty and democracy are only credible if they are defended consistently.
This is not only about Greenland. It is about the kind of Europe we choose to be. A Europe that looks away when pressured will be pressured again and again. A Europe that speaks clearly and acts together shapes its own future. From Greenland to Ukraine, the principle is the same: borders are non-negotiable, people are not bargaining chips, and power must be constrained by law.
Volt Europa exists to push Europe toward that choice for a united future. We must now have the courage to act, before that hesitation turns again into dependency. Because a stronger, united Europe is able to endure the global shift and ruptures of today and tomorrow.
By Mels Klabbers, Co-President of Volt Europa
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