France warns U.S. against Greenland seizure as Europe sends troops to island

[Colorful homes along coastline of Nuuk Greenland from the Myggedalen Panoramic View]
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France's Finance Minister Roland Lescure warned U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that any move to seize Greenland would amount to a "crossed line" and endanger Europe's trade ties with Washington, the _Financial Times _reported.

The minister said he delivered a similar message to Bessent in Washington on Monday. "Greenland is a sovereign part of a sovereign country that is part of the EU. That shouldn't be messed around [with]," Lescure added. Greenland is a semi-autonomous part of Denmark.

When asked if the European Union would retaliate with economic sanctions if Trump invaded Greenland, Lescure said: "I mean, obviously, if that happened we would be in a totally new world for sure, and we would have to adapt accordingly."

Lescure asserted that the EU still needed to work with the U.S. on shared priorities like the French-led initiative to scale back reliance on China's rare earth metals.

"When we disagree, it's always better to stay engaged, and that's what we are doing," he said [https://www.ft.com/content/0b35932b-eb39-465b-b49e-342946d8e14b]. "The dialogue has to keep on going as long as lines that shouldn't be crossed are not crossed."

Meanwhile, European troops arrived in Greenland on Thursday to participate in joint military exercises with Denmark, which intends to push for a larger NATO presence on the island.

Small numbers of military personnel from France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Finland were sent to Greenland.

"I don't think troops in Europe impact the president's decision-making process, nor does it impact his goal of the acquisition of Greenland at all," White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing.

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