Germany on Sunday urged the US to respect Greenland's territorial sovereignty amid repeated American threats to seize the island by force.

“It is solely up to Denmark and Greenland to decide on the future of Greenland,” public broadcaster ARD quoted Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil as saying before leaving Berlin for Washington, referring to the island’s status as a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark.

Principles of international law such as respect for territorial sovereignty and integrity apply to everyone – “including the United States. We are increasing security in the Arctic together as NATO allies, not in opposition to each other,” added Klingbeil, who also serves as Germany’s finance minister.

The US has invited the finance ministers of several countries to Washington to discuss access to critical raw materials. Klingbeil had already announced that US ambitions in Greenland would also be discussed on the sidelines of the talks.

Dating back to his first term in 2017-2021, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to take Greenland by whatever means necessary, not excluding the military option. He points to the island's great strategic importance and the recent large presence of Russian and Chinese ships in the region.

Trump's statements are particularly worrying to European allies because he refuses to rule out military and economic coercion to gain control of Greenland, an option some fear could end the NATO alliance. (AA)

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