German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) voiced Germany’s diplomatic stance on the Greenland dispute at the World Economic Forum in Davos, emphasizing trans‑Atlantic solidarity. He warned that the United States has recently pressed strongly for greater influence in Greenland to counter security threats in the far north, signaling that Washington takes Russian aggression in the Arctic seriously.
Merz shifted the focus of perceived danger in Greenland from the United States to Russia and China, citing hybrid attacks in the Baltic Sea and Russia’s ongoing “winter war” against Ukraine. He said that NATO’s European members are convinced that additional measures are needed to ensure security in the high North. Germany, he added, will act within NATO while reinforcing its solidarity with European neighbours and partners-especially Denmark and Greenland. The principles of the trans‑Atlantic partnership, namely sovereignty and territorial integrity, will be upheld.
Merz also mentioned recent discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and other officials about the necessity of closer cooperation in the far north. The talks aimed to strengthen cooperation among allies. He welcomed Trump’s recent announcement of an agreement on Greenland, arguing that any attempt to acquire European territory by force is unacceptable and that Europe must respond decisively and unitedly to such threats. The trans‑Atlantic partnership, Merz said, is a valuable asset that must be preserved.
