ERR in Greenland: EU trusted far more than the US under Trump
Greenlanders have largely not reacted to Donald Trump's announcement Wednesday the United States will not forcibly take over their country, and remain in a wait-and-see mode.
ERR's Astrid Kannel reported from Nuuk, Greenland's capital and by far its largest settlement, the it is not clear exactly what the latest deal means. The main issue is still that people simply do not trust the U.S. president, and want their own government to explain things to them.
"I didn't get any information about it, so I'm nervous about it, from our government, about what really happened," said Nuuk resident Pilli-Marti.
Another local, Nino, said she was not so concerned, questioning Trump's mental state and implying constitutionally speaking a U.S. president cannot go it alone in such a venture.
"I am not worried. I know that we have Europe with us. I know that he's not allowed to do stuff like that. It's cute. They should screen him for dementia or something," she chuckled.
A third resident, Eduard, noted democracy in the EU understanding was more appealing than the U.S. variety, at least under the current incumbent.
"We need our freedom. We appreciate that European people and that they support us. That is right. We do not need to become part of the United States. We appreciate democratic principles; they are very important for us," he said.
Kannel's own comment was it is the Greenlanders themselves who should be able to determine their own fate, even as help from European aliles is most welcome.
"Ultimately, they believe that Greenlanders are the ones who must decide what they agree to and what they do not. There is also hope for help from European allies," Kannel said.
"And if the media had speculated that a new deal could mean that some portion of Greenland would still be handed over or sold to the U.S. — for example, the area where the U.S. military base is located or where one might be built — then that idea is also totally unacceptable to people here," Kannel said.
Greenland is the world's largest island at 2.166 million square kilometers, but with a population roughly the same as that of Narva. It is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Trump had claimed that the U.S. "needed" it for its own security and that Denmark and other European nations had failed to stave off adequately Russian and Chinese encroachments in the area. While at Davos he climbed down from threatened tariffs on Denmark, Finland, the U.K. and several other European nations, were a deal amenable to him not met.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Johanna Alvin
Source: "Aktuaalne kaamera"
