Macron to visit Greenland, backing European sovereignty

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
Today 02:03

French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Greenland in a show of European unity amid US pressure to control Arctic territory.

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French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a press conference at the Mariinsky Palace in Kiev, Ukraine, on May 10, 2025. (AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Greenland on June 15, becoming the first foreign head of state to do so since United States President Donald Trump publicly floated the idea of the US "buying" the Arctic island, triggering backlash from Copenhagen and Nuuk.

Macron’s office announced the visit on Saturday, noting that it was made at the invitation of Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Talks between the three leaders will focus on Arctic and North Atlantic security, climate change, energy transition, and the supply of critical minerals.

The Élysée said the visit aims to bolster "European sovereignty" and deepen ties with Greenland, in what observers see as a subtle but firm European response to recent US pressure over strategic Arctic territory.

A strategic arctic visit

Frederiksen described the visit as “a concrete testimony of European unity,” underscoring the significance of Macron’s trip in the context of growing international competition over the Arctic. “It has been uplifting to see the strong international support for Greenland and the Kingdom in the difficult foreign policy situation in recent months,” she added, without naming the United States directly.

The Arctic island has long been viewed by Washington as a geostrategic asset. In 2019, then-President Trump shocked both US allies and rivals by openly expressing interest in purchasing Greenland—a suggestion that was swiftly and repeatedly rejected by both Danish and Greenlandic leaders. Copenhagen made it clear that “Washington will never get Greenland,” reaffirming the territory’s right to self-determination.

Autonomy in focus

While part of the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenland has broad autonomy, including over its natural resources. A growing independence movement on the island has long maintained that decisions about Greenland’s future must rest with its own people, not external powers—whether American or European.

Macron’s upcoming visit is widely seen as symbolic support for that position and a diplomatic push to counterbalance US influence in the Arctic by reinforcing Europe’s role.

Following his Greenland stop, Macron will travel to Canada to participate in the upcoming G7 summit.