Starmer ignores Trump's extraordinary Greenland Peace Prize rant - while condemning social media 'grandstanding' and claiming the US WON'T invade Arctic

 Keir Starmer branded Donald Trump's trade war threats over Greenland 'completely wrong' today - but signalled the UK will not hit back.



Despite insisting the government is ready to defend 'fundamental' principles, the PM struck a notably different tone to other European leaders.

He stressed the 'profound' nature of the Transatlantic relationship, highlighting that even the nuclear deterrent relies on it.  

The comments came at an emergency Downing Street press conference after Mr Trump snubbed a personal plea from Sir Keir and renewed his extraordinary demands for the Danish territory.

In a letter to Norway's premier circulated overnight, Mr Trump also linked his grab for Greenland to the refusal to give him the Nobel Peace prize. 

Sir Keir acknowledged that people were angry and stressed that the UK must 'stand up for our values' - but argued that should be done through 'calm discussion'.

He appeared to dismiss the prospect of tit-for-tat retaliation to the tariff threats, even though European powers have been making clear they are ready to respond in kind. He also suggested that the King's state visit to the US in April will not be cancelled.

The premier said he did not believe that Mr Trump was seriously considering invading Greenland - something he has repeatedly refused to rule out.

But he said: 'There is a principle here that cannot be set aside because it goes to the heart of how stable and trusted international cooperation works.'

Sir Keir argued that the future of Greenland was for Denmark and the people of Greenland, adding 'that right is fundamental and we support it'.

'Alliances endure because they are built on respect... not on pressure,' he added.

Mr Trump insisted overnight that he will get his way despite the personal plea and a joint statement from Western leaders warning of a 'dangerous downward spiral' in relations.

Posting on his own Truth Social site in the early hours, Mr Trump said: 'NATO has been telling Denmark, for 20 years, that 'you have to get the Russian threat away from Greenland'.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Brutal tactics of Ecuador's gangs who send decapitated enemies' heads to their wives and their hearts to their parents - as it's declared the toughest place on earth to be a cop

Image
  Latin America has for decades been synonymous with the drug trade thanks to ruthless cartels and criminal gangs whose power and brutality cannot by tamed by the government or the armed forces. Some countries like Ecuador had managed to remain relatively peaceful for decades,  despite bordering the notorious cocaine hotspots of Colombia and Peru. But the coastal nation has seen murder rates soar in recent years as drug lords and criminal masterminds dug their hooks into fresh territory and exploited its ports for maximum profit.  rate was 29 per 100,000 people with Colombia trailing close behind at 26.8. Ecuador sat at a comparatively minuscule 7.7. Three years on, Ecuador's murder rate had shot up to a horrifying 44.5 per 100,000 people - far  outstripping both Mexico and Colombia  to become the murder capital of Latin America. Gangland shootouts now commonly rock the streets - particularly in the bustling port of Guayaquil and Esmeraldas, where the crime rate...
Read more

Inside China's execution conveyor belt: How 'mobile injection vans and firing squads are used to put thousands to death a year' - outstripping capital punishment figures for the rest of the world combined

Image
  Mobile death vans, firing squads, lethal injections: These are all methods used by   China   to carry out more state-sanctioned executions than all other nations combined. While the communist state does not release its official figures, rights groups believe many thousands of people are executed each year - more than the likes of  Iran ,  Saudi Arabia  and the US, even when tallied together. Criminal law in the country is as severe as it is obfuscated, with many crimes punishable by death under  Beijing 's draconian legislation. Death sentences are frequently handed down for crimes ranging from drug trafficking to murder, but also white collar crimes such as corruption. According to a report published in 2021, China's Penal Code of 1997 - which is still in force today - has 46 crimes punishable by death, including 24 violent crimes and 22 non-violent crimes. While the number of such crimes has slowly reduced (in 1979 it was 74, according to the...
Read more

The curse of 'Death Island': How Thai holiday paradise of Koh Tao became a nightmarish hub of murder, suspicious deaths and rape

Image
  Once a sunny Thai paradise island, Koh Tao quickly became a nightmarish hub of murder and rape after   two Brit backpackers were bludgeoned   to death almost a decade ago. Over the past 10 years, Koh Tao has taken a more sinister reputation among some foreigners, with  at least 11 Western tourists having died or disappeared  there under mysterious circumstances since 2014. Following the spate of horrific incidents, the tropical holiday hotspot was given the nicknames 'Death Island' or 'Murder Island'. Local authorities have consistently explained the deaths as unfortunate accidents or suicides, however, many cases appear suspicious to family members of the deceased and missing, and are often left insufficiently investigated. It has long had a reputation as a haven for organised  crime  and corruption, where a 'corrupt' police force prioritises protecting local interests. But beneath the palm tree paradise lies a grubby underbelly where fears over the...
Read more