European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged €200 million ($232 million) in EU investment for Greenland on a visit to Nuuk, amid 
Donald Trump's push for US control of the island. The money covers this year and next, von der Leyen said. She arrived on Sunday for a two-day visit and on Monday signed an EU-Greenland declaration with Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
What is in the package? Von der Leyen announced what DW reported was an "EU-Greenland Partnership Package" focused on three priorities: connectivity, clean energy and critical raw materials. The money is also meant to help Greenland tackle climate change and improve hydropower plants, fisheries and education, with funds earmarked for housing, small businesses and sustainable tourism, PBS NewsHour reported. Von der Leyen also said she wants to double EU budget support to Greenland to around half a billion euros ($580 million) from 2028.
What did the leaders say? "Greenland's future is for the people of Greenland and Denmark to decide. No one else," von der Leyen said, calling territorial integrity, sovereignty and the inviolability of borders "fundamental principles of international law." Nielsen described the 27-nation bloc as "a loyal and trusted friend" at a time when the island faces "new challenges that we cannot tackle alone," PBS NewsHour reported. "We have been under pressure," Frederiksen told reporters, thanking European partners for their support.
Why is Greenland in focus? Trump has repeatedly said the US "needs" Greenland for its "national security," pointing, without providing evidence, to his assertion that the island is "covered with Chinese and Russian ships all over the place," DW reported. Greenland and the Danish government have both rejected his demands. Denmark and seven European allies sent a small group of military personnel to the island in January; in response, Trump threatened all eight with new tariffs, and he eventually backed down after NATO agreed to boost security in the Arctic, PBS NewsHour reported. Von der Leyen's visit came as 11 NATO countries began the Arctic Shield military exercises in Greenland, which involve around 400 personnel, run until Sept. 18 and include no U.S. troops.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
