European powers have firmly backed Denmark and its autonomous territory Greenland, insisting that only the Danish government and Greenlanders

themselves can decide the region’s future. The statement comes amid renewed U.S. interest in Greenland, highlighted by President Donald Trump’s recent comments.

“Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations,” said a joint statement Tuesday from the leaders of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, and Denmark.

Belgium’s CD&V party urged Prime Minister Bart De Wever to publicly support the statement. “Belgium should help make it clear to any aggressor that European territory is not up for grabs,” MP Els Van Hoof said. De Wever later endorsed the statement during a meeting of Ukraine’s “Coalition of the Willing” in Paris. “The West is strongest when it is united and working together, not when it divides itself,” he said.

Tensions have escalated following a U.S. military operation in Caracas over the weekend, which saw Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro detained. On Sunday, Trump again suggested Greenland should be under U.S. control for national security reasons. Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and a NATO member through Denmark.

European leaders emphasized that Arctic security is a shared responsibility that must be pursued collectively within NATO. They underlined that cooperation must respect international law and the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of borders.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned Monday that a U.S. military strike on Greenland—or any NATO country—would have “far-reaching consequences.” “If the U.S. were to attack another NATO country, everything would stop, including NATO and the security structure that has existed since the end of World War II,” she said.

Meanwhile, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen urged calm and dialogue with Washington. “The situation is not such that the United States can conquer Greenland. That is not the case. So there is no need to panic,” he told reporters in Nuuk. “We should restore the good cooperation we had.”