President Emmanuel Macron arrived at Nuuk Airport, Greenland, on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Source: AP, Mads Claus Rasmussen

French President Emmanuel Macron declared that his visit to Greenland aimed to demonstrate “the solidarity of France and the European Union” with the “sovereignty” and “territorial integrity” of the Arctic.

He is the first foreign head of state to set foot in the territory since Donald Trump’s threats of annexation. Emmanuel Macron landed in Greenland on Sunday, June 15, where the French president expressed the solidarity of France and the European Union on the sovereignty and integrity of the autonomous Danish territory, which is threatened with annexation by the U.S. president.

“I come alongside them to see all the challenges, but also to express the solidarity of France and the European Union for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of this territory,” declared Emmanuel Macron upon his arrival.

“Very major strategic stakes”

Asked about the American president’s repeated statements about his desire to acquire Greenland, which is four times the size of France and 80% covered in ice, Emmanuel Macron replied:

I don’t think this is what allies do. It’s important that there be a commitment from Denmark and the Europeans around this territory, which presents very major strategic stakes and whose territorial integrity must be respected.

Greenland is coveted by the American president, who, citing “international security” reasons, aims to seize this island, the largest in the world and rich in rare metals, by any means necessary, including military means if necessary.

Emmanuel Macron began by visiting a Danish frigate where he reviewed Danish troops before meeting with the Danish and Greenlandic leaders.

The Danish Prime Minister welcomed this “concrete demonstration of European unity.”

The visit to a hydroelectric power plant financed by the European Union had to be canceled due to bad weather.

Greenland “is not for sale”

This welcome contrasts sharply with that given to US Vice President J.D. Vance on March 28. The latter was forced to confine himself to the U.S. military base at Pituffik, on the northwest coast of Greenland, in the face of the outcry surrounding his visit.

The population of 57,000, mostly Inuit, rejects any prospect of becoming American. Denmark also insists that Greenland “is not for sale.”

During his visit, JD Vance accused Denmark of having “not done a good job for the people of Greenland,” particularly in economic matters, and of “not ensuring their security well.”

The Pituffik base, which lies on the shortest missile trajectory between Russia and the United States, is a crucial link in American missile defense.

The Arctic is also becoming a security issue in the race for rare earths and new shipping routes made possible by global warming.

Faced with pressure from all sides, Denmark announced it would devote two billion euros to strengthening security in the Arctic.

NATO, for its part, will establish an Air Operations Command and Control Center (CAOC) in Norway, above the Arctic Circle, as Russia seeks to consolidate its military power in the region.

Global Warming

A few days before the presidential visit, two French naval vessels sailed north along Greenland to familiarize themselves with operations in the Arctic.

Weather permitting, Emmanuel Macron will witness for himself the growing impact of global warming on a glacier on Mount Nunatarsuaq, about thirty kilometers from Nuuk.

The ice melted 17 times faster than the historical average between May 15 and 21 in Greenland, the result of a record heatwave.

France intends to “reinvest massively in knowledge of these ecosystems,” in the tradition of explorer Paul-Emile Victor, who carried out multiple expeditions to the island, the Élysée Palace emphasizes.

• Source: France 24 (in French)