Kushner and Witkoff repeated American pledges to offer a security guarantee to Ukraine against Russian aggression if there was a peace deal, but did not reveal any details about the scale or timeframe for this safeguard, seen as an essential element in any lasting peace.
“This does not mean that we will make peace, but peace would not be possible without the progress that was made here today,” Kushner said.
Danish forces join NATO troops in exercises in Greenland in September.Credit: AP
While the outcome showed progress on defending Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the concerns over Greenland have highlighted the differences with Trump over security in Europe.
While Greenland is a self-governing territory with a parliament and a premier, it is also part of the Kingdom of Denmark and subject to a defence agreement between Denmark and the US from 1951, which gives the US broad discretion to build and operate military bases.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that an American move to gain control of Greenland by force would mean the end of NATO, given that both nations are signatories to the security treaty.
“If the US chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops, including NATO and thus the security that has been established since the end of the Second World War,” she told Danish broadcaster TV2.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Tuesday.Credit: Bloomberg
Frederiksen signed the statement along with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Starmer and Macron.
“NATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European allies are stepping up,” the seven leaders said.
“We and many other allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries. The Kingdom of Denmark – including Greenland – is part of NATO.
“Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.
Donald Trump addresses House Republicans in Washington on Tuesday.Credit: AP
“These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them.”
Carney, who flew into Paris for the meeting on Ukraine, echoed the European message.
“The future of Greenland is a decision exclusively for the people of Greenland and Denmark,” Carney told reporters.
Trump said in an interview with The Atlantic on the weekend that Greenland was “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships” and would be needed for US security.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney meets Danish leader Mette Frederiksen at the Canadian embassy in Paris on Tuesday.Credit: AP
“We do need Greenland, absolutely,” he said. “We need it for defence.”
He did not say the US would take the territory by force, although he has refused to rule this out in the past, and he did not threaten an imminent move to seek American control.
But White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller used combative language on Monday to suggest the US was willing to force the outcome it wanted.
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“Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland,” Miller said.
The US operates a major air base and missile defence facility in the far north of Greenland under its 1951 treaty with Denmark, raising questions among experts about why the US would need to take full control.
While there are mineral resources in Greenland, these would be costly to extract because of the sub-zero conditions and some projects have proceeded under the existing governance of the territory.
Arctic Frontiers, an independent group based in Norway, noted the swift response from Nordic countries defending Denmark and Greenland against the US president’s claims.
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“The Nordics stand as a united front in response to the recent US comments about Greenland,” group executive director Anu Fredrikson said in a statement to this masthead.
“In addition, we also see that the language used by the Danish government is more direct and less patient than previously.
“Moving away from multilateral collaboration can have dire consequences. Security guarantees formed the foundation of NATO deterrence. What happens to the perception of security guarantees when one ally threatens another?”
