BRUSSELS — The EU’s tepid response to Donald Trump’s Venezuelan operation underscores how hard it is for Brussels to take a strong position on the U.S. president’s threats to take over Greenland.
The European Commission on Monday sought to draw a distinction between the U.S. capture of Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro and Trump’s renewed rhetoric about taking control of the Arctic territory, but couldn’t say how it planned to deter the American from such a move.
“You would recall that Greenland is an ally to the U.S. and is also covered by the NATO alliance. And that is a big, big difference,” Commission chief spokesperson Paola Pinho said. “So we therefore completely stand by Greenland and in no way do we see a possible comparison with what happened [in Venezuela].”
Greenland’s Premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen also played down the Venezuela comparison, emphasizing to reporters that his country is democratic and has been for many years. However, he warned, the government will now “sharpen [its] tone.”
