French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to visit Greenland on 15 June alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, in a symbolic move aimed at reinforcing "European unity"
amid growing U.S. pressure over the Arctic territory.
During the visit, the two leaders will hold talks on Arctic security with Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the premier of Greenland, a semi-autonomous region within the Kingdom of Denmark. Other topics on the agenda include climate change, economic development, and energy cooperation, according to a statement from Frederiksen’s office.
“In recent months, we’ve seen strong international support for Greenland and the Kingdom during a difficult period in foreign policy,” Frederiksen said. “President Macron’s upcoming visit is a clear and tangible expression of European unity.”
The visit comes against the backdrop of repeated threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to annex Greenland, citing the island’s strategic value and rich mineral resources as vital to countering Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic.
Just days earlier, on 5 June, France’s National Assembly narrowly passed a resolution (212–198) expressing potential support for Denmark, including military assistance, in the face of U.S. expansionist rhetoric.
Frederiksen on Thursday criticized Washington’s recent actions, stating that “Greenland and Denmark have been subjected to unacceptable pressure from our closest ally.”
Greenlandic media had been anticipating the announcement. The newspaper Sermitsiaq reported earlier in the week that Macron was expected to visit this summer, citing unnamed but reliable sources.
The visit follows a diplomatic exchange in May, when Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt traveled to France and formally extended the invitation to President Macron. Photo by Jensbn, Wikimedia commons.