Poland has found itself among three countries – alongside France and Germany – that are to stand at the forefront of opposition to Donald Trump’s plans regarding Greenland. “Paris is working with European allies on a joint response to the threats by U.S. President Donald Trump concerning the takeover of Greenland,” declared the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noel Barrot. Donald Tusk and Radosław Sikorski have also spoken on the matter. “What interest does Poland have, how is this supposed to serve the Polish raison d’état, when we ourselves want to place ourselves on a collision course, at least in the sphere of political discourse, with not only our key but also our most reliable ally?” asked the former head of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zbigniew Rau.
Yesterday on our website we reported on Donald Tusk’s press conference ahead of his departure for the summit of the so-called coalition of the willing in Paris. During it, the head of the Polish government addressed the future of Greenland and U.S. plans to take control of the island.
“For Poland, two things are clear and very difficult to reconcile, let’s not kid ourselves, but at the same time obviously clear and unequivocal. No member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should attack or threaten another member of the alliance,” Tusk said.
After the summit, however, he stated that the issue had not come up during the talks, in which the American side also took part. What is more, it was not raised even by the prime minister of Denmark, the country under whose protection Greenland remains.
“No one wanted to spoil the atmosphere of good cooperation on Ukraine, and therefore no one, not even the prime minister of Denmark, raised the Greenland issue. Today the topic was our joint work with the Americans to provide security guarantees for Ukraine,” the head of government said at the time.
According to Michał Rachoń, programming director of TV Republika, this was an element of Tusk’s provocation toward U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Prime Minister, for heaven’s sake, why did you speak about this issue before the meeting, when at the meeting ‘no one wanted to spoil the atmosphere’ in a key matter that is very important for Poland. Let’s agree, the Greenland issue is not a priority. It is important for Greenland, Denmark and the United States,” Rachoń stated.
Poland at the forefront of talks on Greenland
More light is shed on the matter by a recent article published by Politico. It quotes French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot as saying that “Paris is working with European allies on a joint response to the threats by U.S. President Donald Trump concerning the takeover of Greenland.” He was to discuss the topic on Wednesday evening “with his German and Polish counterparts.”
“What is at stake is the question of how to strengthen Europe, the European Union, in order to deter threats and attacks on its security and interests. (…) Greenland is not for sale and is not up for grabs… so the threats must stop,” Barrot said.
The issue was also addressed at a press conference following a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Weimar Triangle by Radosław Sikorski.
“As far as I know, matters of war and peace in the United States fall within the competence of Congress. I would like to know Congress’s position on Greenland,” the head of Polish diplomacy wrote on social media.
Rau: This serves the German raison d’état
Professor Zbigniew Rau, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, spoke about the issue today on Michał Rachoń’s program.
“What interest does Poland have, how is this supposed to serve the Polish raison d’état, when we ourselves want to place ourselves on a collision course, at least in the sphere of political discourse, with not only our key but also our most reliable ally?” Rau asked.
“The answer is that it absolutely does not serve the Polish raison d’état. One must ask why this issue is appearing at all, when the ‘rapporteur’ in this matter seems to be the French minister. I put forward the thesis that this serves the German raison d’état. Why? If the French minister, with the full support of the German side, indicates that the three of us share the same view, that means Germany, France and Poland. How do Germany and Poland differ here? For decades Germany has been the least pro-American society in Europe, which is visible in the various geopolitical strategies of successive German governments. We enjoy the reputation of being one of the most pro-American societies in Europe and we have emotional relations with the United States going back 200 years – one could call them cordial. Therefore, if any representative of the Polish state, whether the prime minister or the foreign minister, joins this chorus, it is from the perspective of Europe as a whole, as well as the United States, far more credible than if it were said by a representative of Germany or France,” he added.
In Rau’s opinion, the Polish government is needed to lend legitimacy to French, European policy.
“When Macron speaks with President Trump, he presents himself as the one behind whom – the whole of – Europe stands united. (…) On the one hand, this is a kind of demonstration that ‘all of Europe, contrary to what you write, stands vis-a-vis Washington’,” he said.