German Defence Minister Pistorius to visit Greenland in September

Copenhagen (dpa) – German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius is aiming to visit Greenland in September, amid recent interest from US President Donald Trump’s administration in taking over the Arctic territory.

On a visit to Copenhagen on Monday, Pistorius said that the issue has been less prominent in the past few weeks but noted that Greenland and Denmark have received “strong signals of solidarity.”

Speaking at a press conference alongside his Danish counterpart Troels Lund Poulsen, Pistorius said the pair are “planning to go to Greenland in September together.”

“I want to see Greenland, I want to show our solidarity,” Pistorius said. “We need to be present in the North Atlantic and in the Arctic too.”

“It’s about investing more and showing more presence in the northern Atlantic together with our US allies,” he added.

Greenland is largely autonomous but is officially part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly stated that the United States must take control of the island for reasons of national and international security.

The demand has been clearly rejected by both Greenland and Denmark, with backing from other European countries.

Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron travelled to the island to reaffirm its sovereignty. No member of the current German government has yet travelled to Greenland.