Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has stated to the BBC that the future of Greenland should be determined solely by Greenland and Denmark.
This declaration follows President Trump’s renewed expression of interest in acquiring Greenland “from the standpoint of national security.”
The US president, along with senior administration officials, have repeatedly suggested the possibility of the semi-autonomous Danish territory becoming part of the United States.
Both the Prime Ministers of Greenland and Denmark firmly dismissed this idea over the weekend.
Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, responded to President Trump’s recent remarks by stating “that’s enough now,” and described the notion of US control over the island as a “fantasy.”
Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, asserted that “the US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom.”
When asked if he would echo the sentiment of “hands off Greenland” to President Trump, Sir Keir responded definitively, a contrast to the often cautious and nuanced nature of diplomatic replies.
“Yes,” he stated. “Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark must decide the future of Greenland, and only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.
“Denmark is a close ally in Europe and a NATO ally. It is crucial that the future of Greenland is for the Kingdom of Denmark and for Greenland themselves, and exclusively for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.”
The Prime Minister’s stance on the legality of the US action in Venezuela was notably less decisive.
“The US will have to justify the action it has taken,” Sir Keir stated, adding that “we will always defend the international rule of law.”
However, he repeatedly avoided providing a direct answer as to whether the US had acted within the bounds of international law.
“There was an illegitimate president who has now been removed, and I don’t think anybody is really shedding any tears about that,” he said, calling for “a peaceful transition to democracy” as soon as possible.
The US military action has drawn criticism from some Labour MPs, as well as leaders from the Liberal Democrats, Green Party, and the SNP, who have urged the Prime Minister to condemn the move as a breach of international law.
On Sunday, Emily Thornberry, Chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, became the most senior Labour MP to voice such criticism.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour, she described the US strikes as “not a legal action” and stated she “cannot think of anything that could be a proper justification.”
She described the situation as “international anarchy,” and cautioned it could embolden Russia and China.
A limited number of Labour MPs, primarily from the party’s left wing, have publicly condemned the US action as a violation of international law.
Further criticism of the UK’s response may arise in the House of Commons later, when the Foreign Secretary delivers a statement on the developments in Venezuela.
The UN Security Council, of which the UK is a permanent member, is convening to discuss the US operation.
UK representative James Kariuki told the meeting the UK wanted to see “a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government” in Venezuela and reaffirmed its “commitment to international law”.
It came after UN under-secretary general Rosemary DiCarlo opened the session saying she was “deeply concerned that rules of international law have not been respected” in relation to the US military action.
Venezuela’s left-wing president and his wife Cilia Flores were flown out of Caracas in a military operation in conjunction with US law enforcement.
They have since been charged with weapon and drug offences in New York, accused of enriching themselves from a violent crime ring smuggling cocaine to the US.
Maduro has long rejected the allegations as a pretext to force him from power and both have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
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