Margrethe Vestager: NATO Faces an 'Existential Threat' 0 8

"Even for President Trump, an attack by one NATO country on another with territorial claims is too much," said Margrethe Vestager, former commissioner and former minister of the Danish government, during the morning show 'Europe Today.' She confirmed the idea, previously voiced by the current authorities of Denmark and the European Union, about the inadmissibility of U.S. interference in the affairs of the island.

Vestager described a possible attack by one NATO member against another as an 'existential threat to the alliance.' She reminded that existing treaties between the U.S. and Denmark allow for continued cooperation without the transfer of Greenland and that Copenhagen bears equal security obligations with other NATO members.

According to the bilateral defense agreement between Washington and Copenhagen regarding the defense of Greenland from 1951, updated in 2004, the U.S. can simply notify Denmark of its desire to send additional troops there.

Earlier, Trump promised that the U.S. would 'take control' of the island's territory 'one way or another' and mocked its defense, noting that it consists of 'two dog sled teams.' The American leader is convinced that, against this backdrop, China and Russia are increasing their control in the region, a fact not confirmed by diplomats from Northern European countries.

European institutions and member states, led by France and Germany, expressed solidarity with Denmark. In this context, media speculated about the possibility of deploying European forces on the island similar to NATO. Earlier, the Greenland government issued a statement reminding that the island is already under the protection of the North Atlantic Alliance, of which the U.S. is a member. 'The government coalition in Greenland believes that Greenland will always be part of the Western defense alliance,' the document states.