{"id":210952,"date":"2025-01-08T20:48:06","date_gmt":"2025-01-08T20:48:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/08\/blinken-and-french-diplomat-criticize-trumps-talk-of-taking-greenland\/"},"modified":"2025-01-08T20:48:06","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T20:48:06","slug":"blinken-and-french-diplomat-criticize-trumps-talk-of-taking-greenland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/08\/blinken-and-french-diplomat-criticize-trumps-talk-of-taking-greenland\/","title":{"rendered":"Blinken and French Diplomat Criticize Trump\u2019s Talk of Taking Greenland"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"549\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/08\/multimedia\/08blinken-france-1-tkmv\/08blinken-france-1-tkmv-facebookJumbo.jpg?fit=1050,549&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Blinken and French Diplomat Criticize Trump\u2019s Talk of Taking Greenland\" title=\"Blinken and French Diplomat Criticize Trump\u2019s Talk of Taking Greenland\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and his French counterpart, Jean-No\u00ebl Barrot, spoke on Wednesday in Paris of the challenges already posed to U.S. alliances by the imminent return of Donald J. Trump to the White House, and said they believed that an American takeover of Greenland was an impossible idea.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But they also asserted that their nations would try to continue working together through potential political turbulence in the coming years, including the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">European leaders have been focused in recent days on what many consider inflammatory statements from Mr. Trump and his allies. The president-elect has said he would like to make Greenland part of the United States. The autonomous territory is controlled by Denmark, a NATO ally. And a senior adviser, the billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, has declared his support for a far-right political party in Germany.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe idea expressed about Greenland is obviously not a good one, but maybe more important, it\u2019s obviously one that\u2019s not going to happen,\u201d Mr. Blinken said at a news conference with Mr. Barrot. \u201cSo we probably shouldn\u2019t waste a lot of time talking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He prefaced that with advice clearly intended for Mr. Trump: \u201cWe\u2019re stronger, we\u2019re more effective, we get better results when we\u2019re working closely with our allies, not saying things that may alienate them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Barrot agreed that he did not think the United States would invade Greenland, but said: \u201cDo we think that we are entering a period in which we\u2019re returning to the law of the jungle? The answer is yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Later, in remarks on Ukraine, he put President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia squarely in that context, too.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt is a matter of the future of international law,\u201d Mr. Barrot said. \u201cIf we accept Ukraine capitulating, we would allow force to prevail. It is a matter of security for the French people, as well as for Europeans.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Blinken\u2019s stop in Paris is part of a final, whirlwind diplomatic trip in which he is visiting Asian and European allies. He <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/06\/world\/asia\/south-korea-blinken-democracy-alliance.html\" title=\"\">met with officials in Seoul<\/a> on Monday, in the middle of the biggest political crisis in South Korea in decades; had talks in Tokyo the next day, soon after the Biden administration blocked a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/06\/business\/us-steel-nippon-lawsuit.html\" title=\"\">steel-industry merger<\/a> that Japanese officials wanted; and then flew overnight to Paris, going via Alaska to avoid Russian air space.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Blinken\u2019s visits to South Korea and Japan were a reflection of the importance of those nations in the U.S. government\u2019s calculus for establishing military deterrence against China and North Korea. Both are key allies that host U.S. military bases and troops. And France has been one of the most important allies in opposing Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and supplying the Ukrainian military with weapons.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Like other European officials, those in Paris are anxious about the return of Mr. Trump, though few were truly surprised by the outcome of the U.S. election.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In Mr. Blinken, President Biden has a diplomat well suited to trying to reassure the French: He grew up in an intellectual milieu in Paris and speaks fluent French, which he deployed here in an ornate room in the Foreign Ministry, in what was almost certain to be his final overseas news conference as secretary of state.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Both Mr. Blinken and Mr. Barrot underscored in their opening remarks the diplomacy their nations have done together during recent crises, notably the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and the war between Russia and Ukraine. Their nations have also tried to coordinate on policies toward Syria, where rebels recently toppled Bashar al-Assad, the longtime dictator.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI am delighted that you will continue carrying the torch over the next months on these crucial issues for our two countries,\u201d Mr. Blinken told Mr. Barrot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The French minister praised Mr. Blinken, using language that appeared to carry veiled criticism of the America represented by Mr. Trump.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cYou have embodied the face of the America that we love,\u201d Mr. Barrot said. He spoke of a nation that built an \u201cinternational order based on law\u201d after World War II through \u201cits lofty outlook, its visceral attachment to the values \u200b\u200bof freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At one point, he said, \u201cWe survived some 59 American elections, and of course we\u2019ll survive the 60th American election.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Among their worries, European leaders are concerned about the possibility that Mr. Trump will impose new tariffs in a period of <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/10\/30\/business\/europe-economy-germany.html\" title=\"\">anemic growth in Europe<\/a> compared with the United States.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Blinken\u2019s visit comes at a time of intense domestic political division for France. It is a moment that Fran\u00e7ois Bayrou, the centrist prime minister appointed last month, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bfmtv.com\/politique\/gouvernement\/francois-bayrou-estime-que-la-france-est-dans-la-situation-la-plus-difficile-depuis-la-guerre_VN-202412230616.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">has called<\/a> the \u201cmost difficult\u201d situation for the country since the end of World War II. But for the time being, those divisions mostly affect France\u2019s domestic policy, particularly its inability to pass a budget.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">All of this has served to weaken the hand of President Emmanuel Macron at home. But under the French system, Mr. Macron, who considers himself a pragmatic centrist, still holds great sway when it comes to foreign affairs. That has provided a certain continuity in the French posture toward Mr. Trump.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">That posture is a mix of concern, caution and Mr. Macron\u2019s belief that he has a clear-eyed view of the American president-elect and his mercurial governing style. Mr. Macron was elected president in 2017, the same year that Mr. Trump took office for his first term.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Over the years, the French president has sought to preserve the French-American relationship while preparing his country \u2014 and Europeans more generally \u2014 for the possibility that the continent may increasingly have to fend for itself militarily, given Mr. Trump\u2019s skepticism about the U.S. role in NATO.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At a campaign event last year, Mr. Trump implied that he would not abide by NATO\u2019s collective defense provision, known as Article 5, and even said he would \u201cencourage\u201d Russia \u201cto do whatever the hell they want\u201d to countries that had not contributed sufficiently to the alliance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">During his yearly New Year\u2019s Eve speech, Mr. Macron, reiterating a position he has taken many times before, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.elysee.fr\/emmanuel-macron\/2024\/12\/31\/voeux-aux-francais\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a> that Europe could no longer \u201cdelegate to other powers its security and its defense,\u201d vowing to continue to invest in French \u201cmilitary rearmament.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-8\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Monday, Mr. Macron raised concerns about Mr. Musk, who recently used his social media platform, X, to praise a German far-right party and assail Britain\u2019s Labour Party prime minister.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Without mentioning Mr. Musk\u2019s name, Mr. Macron said: \u201cTen years ago, if we had said that the owner of one of the largest social networks in the world would support a new international reactionary force and would intervene directly in elections, including in Germany, who would have imagined it?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-9\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Wednesday, when asked at the news conference about Mr. Musk, Mr. Blinken said, \u201cPrivate citizens in our country can say what they want, what they believe, and everyone else can draw their own conclusions and take their own positions on the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Barrot said the same about Mr. Musk. Soon afterward, Mr. Blinken got into a convoy to go to the \u00c9lys\u00e9e Palace to meet with Mr. Macron and to receive the L\u00e9gion d\u2019Honneur, given by the French to people they consider true friends.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">Catherine Porter<!-- --> contributed reporting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/08\/world\/europe\/blinken-france-trump.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and his French counterpart, Jean-No\u00ebl Barrot, spoke on Wednesday in Paris of the challenges already posed to U.S. alliances by the imminent return of Donald J. Trump to the White House, and said they believed that an American takeover of Greenland was an impossible idea. But they also asserted [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":210953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/08\/multimedia\/08blinken-france-1-tkmv\/08blinken-france-1-tkmv-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[128439,152438,7273,54112,23724,8942,163575,2534,165194,9403,152437,8456,4791,10923,3096,17875,6039,137131,88818,202,4609,52,1734,1130,1021,128437],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210952"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210952"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210952\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":210954,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210952\/revisions\/210954"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}