Greenland standoff serves as wake-up call for Europe: Macron
European powers have sought to join forces to show they can stand on their own feet after US President Donald Trump has roiled the NATO alliance by threatening to seize Greenland.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said a standoff with the United States over Greenland was "a strategic wake-up call for all of Europe", speaking alongside the leaders of Denmark and the Danish autonomous territory in Paris.
European powers have sought to join forces to show they can stand on their own feet after US President Donald Trump has roiled the transatlantic alliance by threatening to seize Greenland.
Speaking alongside the prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland, Mette Frederiksen and Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Macron said on Wednesday the "awakening must focus on asserting our European sovereignty, on our contribution to Arctic security, on the fight against foreign interference and disinformation, and on the fight against global warming."
He reaffirmed to Frederiksen and Nielsen, France's solidarity and "its commitment to your sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"France will continue to defend these principles in accordance with the United Nations Charter," he added, expressing his support for increased NATO engagement in the Arctic.
Macron told the premier that France would "be side-by-side" with Denmark.
After European pushback, Trump backed down on the threat to take Greenland by military force.
Improve defences
Speaking earlier, Frederiksen said that Europe needed to improve its defences "now" to become less reliant on the United States for military protection.
On Monday, NATO chief Mark Rutte told EU lawmakers to "keep on dreaming" if they thought Europe could defend itself without the US.
In response to Rutte's comments, Frederiksen conceded it would be "extremely difficult" for Europe to defend itself right now.
"Because when you look at intelligence, nuclear weapons, and so on, we depend on the US," she said at Sciences Po university.
"But I think we're able to do more than what is being said publicly right now."
As for a 2035 target to ramp up spending on NATO, she said, "I'm sorry to say it would be too late."
"I think rearming ourselves now is the most important thing."
Fredriksen said Europe had made a "big mistake" by cutting military budgets in the past.