Trump's rhetoric may be "destabilizing," but actions show otherwise - Lammy
The unpredictability of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's rhetoric may be "destabilizing," but he does not always do what he threatens.
This was stated by British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who commented on Trump's recent statements regarding Greenland, Ukrinform reports with reference to The Guardian.
"I think that we know from Donald Trump’s first term that the intensity of his rhetoric, and the unpredictability sometimes of what he says, can be destabilizing. He did it with NATO. But in fact, in practice, he sent more troops to Europe under his administration. He sent the first Javelins [anti-tank weapons] and weapons to Ukraine under his administration," the British Foreign Secretary said.
Lammy said Trump would not use military force to seize Greenland, despite some suggesting he could.
When asked whether the UK, like France and Germany, should find this unacceptable, Lammy said the UK was taking the issue seriously.
"Let’s be serious … It’s not going to happen because no NATO allies have gone to war since the birth of NATO which Ernest Bevin, my great predecessor, was part of," he said.
Lammy added that Trump's comments should be seen as reflecting his concerns about Arctic security, given the posture of Russia and China.
"Here, I suspect on Greenland, what he’s targeting is his concerns about Russia and China in the Arctic, his concerns about national economic security. He recognizes, I’m sure, that in the end, Greenland today is a Kingdom of Denmark. There is a debate in Greenland about their own self-determination. But behind it, I think, are his concerns about the Arctic. Of course, the US has troops and a base on Greenland. So it has got a stake in that Arctic region," said Lammy.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump previously said he does not rule out the use of force to control Greenland and the Panama Canal.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who rejected Trump's first offer to buy Greenland in 2019, dismissed his latest statement as "absurd."
Trump has also previously demanded that Panama restore ownership of the canal, which the United States transferred to Panama in 1977.
Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized Trump's idea of taking Greenland and expressed belief that this would not happen.
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