Polish president urges diplomatic solution to Greenland dispute
Polish President Karol Nawrocki said on Tuesday that Greenland is a strategically important territory that requires broader discussion among allies, voicing hope the dispute will be resolved diplomatically between the United States and Denmark.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki speaks to reporters in London on Tuesday.Photo: PAP/Leszek Szymański
Nawrocki made the remarks at a news briefing in London after meeting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
He said Greenland was not discussed during his talks with Starmer but said that its geopolitical significance is widely recognised.
“I hope this matter will be resolved through diplomacy between the president of the United States and the prime minister of Denmark,” Nawrocki said.
When viewed through a strategic and geopolitical lens, including concerns about Russia and economic competition from China, Greenland’s importance becomes clear and warrants discussion “within the framework of partnership,” Nawrocki said.
He added that responsibility for the security of the free world rests largely with NATO, led by the United States, and said he trusted that the issue would be handled through “mature diplomacy among free nations.”
The comments come amid renewed international controversy sparked by US President Donald Trump, who has said the United States must own Greenland, a self-governing territory that is part of Denmark, to prevent Russia or China from gaining influence over the strategically located Arctic island.
On Sunday, Trump said the United States would take control of the mineral-rich territory „one way or the other.”
Danish and Greenlandic officials have repeatedly said the territory is not for sale, though Trump has not ruled out the use of force.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Monday that responsibility for the island’s security lies with NATO and reiterated that Greenland is part of Denmark, a NATO member.
He said Greenland’s government seeks to strengthen defence cooperation „in close collaboration with NATO,” in dialogue with allies including the United States and Denmark, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Nielsen’s coalition government has rejected Trump’s latest remarks about acquiring Greenland.
According to the Bloomberg news agency, a group of European countries led by Britain and Germany is discussing plans to increase military presence in Greenland to demonstrate Europe’s commitment to Arctic security.
According to unnamed sources cited by Bloomberg, Germany may propose a joint NATO mission to monitor and protect security interests in the Arctic region.
The European Union’s Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius has said that a US military takeover of Greenland would effectively spell the end of NATO, the Reuters news agency reported on Monday.
Speaking at a security conference in Sweden, Kubilius said the bloc could help provide security for Greenland if Denmark were to request assistance, according to Reuters.
„I agree with the Danish prime minister that it would be the end of NATO,” Kubilius said, as quoted by Reuters.
He added that such a move would also have „very deep negative impact among the people and on our transatlantic relations,” Reuters reported
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Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters
