Starmer says he stands with Denmark after Trump’s threats over Greenland | EUROtoday

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he “stands” with Denmark after Donald Trump dramatically threatened to annex Greenland.

The prime minister additionally mentioned that his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen was “right” to refuse the US president any declare to the territory.

It comes within the wake of President Trump repeating his territorial claims over Greenland following his resolution to seize Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro.

Sir Keir’s sign of solidarity with Nato ally Denmark comes because the US president advised over the weekend that Venezuela might not be the final nation topic to American intervention, after his administration struck Caracas. He has additionally beforehand made territorial claims in opposition to one other Nato ally, Canada.

“We do need Greenland, absolutely,” Mr Trump instructed the Atlantic journal, following the operation in Venezuela.

Meanwhile Katie Miller, the spouse of one in every of Mr Trump’s senior aides Stephen Miller, posted an image on social media of Greenland within the colors of the American flag alongside the phrase “soon” following the Venezuela operation.

The Danish chief hit again, writing in an announcement that “the US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom”, of which Greenland is one.

Asked throughout a go to to a neighborhood centre in Berkshire about Ms Frederiksen’s sturdy language, Sir Keir instructed Sky News: “Well, I stand with her, and she’s right about the future of Greenland.”

Elsewhere, the prime minister was requested by the BBC if he agreed with calls from the Danes for the US president to cease proposing American annexation of the island.

“Yes,” Sir Keir replied, including: “Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark are to decide the future of Greenland, and only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.

“Denmark is a detailed ally in Europe, it’s a Nato ally, and it is essential the way forward for Greenland is, as I say, for the Kingdom of Denmark, and for Greenland, and just for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.”

The Labour government has in recent months been forging closer ties with Denmark, and has been taking cues from Ms Frederiksen’s government – which is of a similar political tradition – on how to crack down on illegal migration.

However, the prime minister maintained his refusal to condemn President Trump over the US action against Venezuela despite growing unease from Labour MPs and opposition parties including the Greens and Lib Dems.

Labour’s former shadow attorney general Dame Emily Thornberry became the most senior Labour figure to denounce the US actions, piling pressure on Sir Keir to disown Mr Trump’s conduct and stating “it must be called out”.

Dame Emily, chair of the commons foreign affairs select committee, warned: “You can’t walk into a smaller country and take its resources, tell its leadership what to do or throw the leaders in jail.

“There are rules. These came out of the chaos, suffering and bloodshed of the Second World War.

“Might must not be right. Just because larger countries can walk into smaller ones doesn’t mean they are allowed to.”

But speaking to reporters, the prime minister said: “What’s occurred right here in Venezuela is clearly actually vital. We have lengthy championed a peaceable transition to democracy, as a result of the president was illegitimate.”

Sir Keir also said international law needed to be the “anchor” for the future of Venezuela after the US removed president Maduro at the weekend. He added that the US will “need to justify” its actions in international law.

But the PM would not be drawn on whether he believed the US had breached international law when asked directly.

He told reporters: “International legislation is basically vital. It’s the framework, and it is for the US to set out its justifications for the actions that it is taken. But it’s a difficult state of affairs. It stays a sophisticated state of affairs. The most vital factor is stability and that peaceable transition to democracy.”

The PM added: “I feel the overwhelming majority of Labour MPs would say that they need to see democracy in Venezuela. That is vastly vital.”