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A top French official condemned the “brutalization” of the world by “major powers” in his trip to Greenland over the weekend in an apparent jab at President Donald Trump and his ambitions in the Arctic.
In comments made by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot from the capital of Nuuk, he said on Sunday that his visit was a show of “solidarity” and reminded international superpowers that Greenland “is not up for grabs” or “for sale.”
“The certainty of peace, prosperity and democracy are all being called into question by the resurgence of new empires that would like to replace the logic of cooperation with the logic of coercion,” Barrot said. “This brutalization of the world can be seen even in the Artic.”
French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he stands on the glacier Mont Nunatarsuaq during a visit in Greenland, on June 15, 2025. (Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images)
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Barrot, who visited a French military ship docked in Nuuk, also confirmed that French officials will return to Greenland in the fall to begin ironing out a new critical minerals deal struck in May when Nuuk granted a Danish-French consortium a 30-mining deal for the extraction of anorthosite for aluminum production.
While Barrot directly called out Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, he did not mention Trump or list the U.S. as a major threat to the European territory. Though his comments came just three days after Denmark summoned the U.S.’s chief envoy after reports claimed people close to the president were allegedly running covert influence operations in Greenland.
Trump has faced widespread condemnation over his ambitions in Greenland – which is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark – and has refused to rule out military intervention to “acquire” the Arctic nation, which he argues is strategically important for security reasons.
Arctic Ocean map locator map. (Encyclopedia Britannica/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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“The greatness of a nation cannot be rebuilt on the servitude of its neighbors or allies,” Barrot said. “The greatness of a nation is measured by its contribution to the freedom of the world.”
France, in particular, has come to the Arctic island’s defense, with French President Emmanuel Macron traveling to Greenland in June where he criticized Trump’s threats and cemented not only Paris’, but Europe’s, determination that the island’s “territorial integrity must be respected.”
Despite the international push back, Trump appears undeterred in his desire to “acquire” Greenland and according to a senior administration official, “The President believes Greenland is a strategically important location, and is confident Greenlanders would be better served if protected by the United States from modern threats in the Arctic region.
“President Trump is committed to establishing long-term peace at home and abroad,” the official added.
French President Emmanuel Macron (L), Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (2R) and Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen (2L) are briefed by Major General in the Danish Defense, and head of the Joint Arctic Command Soren Andersen onboard the Danish frigate F363 Niels Juel in Nuuk, Greenland, on June 15, 2025. (Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images)
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Barrot said his “visit sends a message: Greenland and Denmark are not alone – Europe and France stand by their side today and tomorrow.
“Greenland is an Arctic territory, it is a European territory. We belong to the same family,” he added.