LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Heads of state from 35 nations gathered in Paris to discuss Ukraine's future. But the meeting was overshadowed by President Trump's threats to take Greenland.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
They were supposed to focus on how Ukraine's security and sovereignty will be guaranteed once the war stops. But after watching the U.S. seize Venezuela's president, several countries warned Washington not to go further and to respect the NATO allies' sovereignty.
FADEL: We go to NPR's Eleanor Beardsley in Paris for more. Hi, Eleanor.
ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So what did the European leaders say about Greenland?
BEARDSLEY: Yeah, Leila, the issue was looming so large that it risked overshadowing the talks on Ukraine. So before they even got to work on Ukraine, they issued a statement on Greenland. France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain and Denmark issued a statement stressing that Greenland, quote, "belongs to its people and that only Denmark and Greenland can decide the island's future." But the statement did not condemn the U.S.' aggressive language or what some see as threats to European sovereignty. No, it spoke of, quote, collective action to protect the Arctic "in conjunction with NATO" and the U.S. I spoke with Martin Quencez, who heads the Paris office of the nonpartisan think tank, the German Marshall Fund, and he said the Europeans cannot afford to antagonize the Trump administration.
MARTIN QUENCEZ: The Europeans are not able to take any kind of strong position on any issues related to U.S. foreign policy because Europe depends so much on the U.S. for its own defense and for the future of Ukraine.
FADEL: And to make clear why Europe is so involved here, this is an autonomous region of Denmark. Now, Greenland was top of mind, but was anything accomplished on Ukraine?
BEARDSLEY: Yeah, absolutely. This so-called coalition of the willing is really getting down to the nitty-gritty of after the war. They've been meeting since last year to prepare for that when and if it comes. So this coalition is led by France and the U.K., but it also includes non-European nations like Japan, Australia and New Zealand. And last night, they detailed how an eventual peace would be reinforced and Russia would be kept from invading again. There would be a high-tech mechanism to monitor a ceasefire on the contact line and troops. France and the U.K. have committed to boots on the ground to deter a future Russian attack. Let's listen to President Macron.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON: (Speaking French).
BEARDSLEY: He says, "there will be a multinational force on air, land and sea to bring a reassurance the day after a ceasefire." Macron called it a robust security guarantee for a solid and durable peace. And by the way, the U.S. has also committed support for this force in the event of a Russian attack on Ukraine. And the U.S. was represented yesterday at the meeting by President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
FADEL: So it seems like there were actually two threats the Europeans were concerned about at this meeting.
BEARDSLEY: Oh, that's exactly it, Leila. Russia is not the only threat in the room hanging over Europe. More and more the Trump administration is seen as a threat, most recently because of this bellicose talk about Greenland. Europeans watched agog over the weekend, Venezuela, as you said. And, you know, it's not the first time President Trump has talked about Greenland, but on Sunday, he called the mineral-rich world's largest island, quote, "so strategic" and said the U.S. needs it from a standpoint of national security. Trump hasn't ruled out taking it by force, though Secretary of State Marco Rubio is suggesting the U.S. buy it. I spoke with political scientist Dominique Moisi with the Institut Montaigne, and he says Europe is facing actually two enemies.
DOMINIQUE MOISI: One from Russia, the classical one, and now one from the United States of America. It looks as if Trump America betrayed Ukraine and now is about to aggress Europe.
BEARDSLEY: Moisi says that after perceived backtracking by the Trump administration on support for Ukraine, the continued comments about Greenland suggest an escalating threat from America.
FADEL: Interesting. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley in Paris. Thank you, Eleanor.
BEARDSLEY: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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