French president accuses US of ‘turning its back on allies’

After raiding Venezuela and kidnapping its president Nicolas Maduro, Washington has repeated threats to annex Greenland

The US is increasingly distancing itself from some of its allies and retreating from international rules, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday. The comment comes a week after Washington conducted a military raid on Venezuela and threatened once again to annex Denmark’s autonomous territory of Greenland.

Earlier this month, American commandos carried out a series of airstrikes on the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, and several other regions of the country, while abducting President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. US President Donald Trump on Friday told journalists that a military option was on the table regarding Greenland, which he claimed would be taken over by China or Russia if Washington did not act.

“We are evolving in a world of great powers, with a real temptation to divide up the world among them,” Macron said in his annual speech to French ambassadors commenting on the latest developments.

“The US has an established power, but one that is gradually turning away from some of its allies and freeing itself from international rules that it was still promoting not so long ago – whether in the field of trade or certain elements of security,” the French leader highlighted.

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Macron also said that France and the EU are currently “facing neo-colonial aggression” while being “subjected to anti-colonial rhetoric that no longer corresponds to reality.” 

Trump has sought outright ownership of Greenland since his first term, stressing that the island is vital to Arctic security. The claims have become a major source of tension between Washington and European NATO members.

On Monday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said a US annexation of Greenland would effectively signal the end of NATO. The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK later joined her in a statement saying that the island “belongs to its people.”

On Friday, Trump said he would like to go the “easy way” regarding Greenland. He did not rule out paying Greenlanders when asked about compensation, but stressed that Washington would “do it the hard way” if necessary.