Emmanuel Macron has issued a pointed rebuke to Donald Trump over his renewed interest in Greenland, declaring that the Arctic island is “not for sale”. Speaking at a United Nations ocean summit in Nice, the French President warned the US leader against pursuing territorial ambitions in the Arctic and Antarctic, saying: “Greenland is not for taking, and neither are Antarctica nor the high seas for sale.”
The comment was widely interpreted as a direct message to Mr Trump, who has repeatedly floated the idea of the United States acquiring the autonomous Danish territory since returning to the White House. Mr Macron’s speech came ahead of a planned visit to Greenland on Sunday, where he is expected to hold high-level talks with Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
Discussions are set to focus on North Atlantic and Arctic security, climate policy, and competition over critical mineral resources.
Since his re-election in 2024, Mr Trump has made no secret of his strategic interest in Greenland, citing its mineral wealth and position between North America and Europe as reasons for US involvement.
He has previously described it as “a great deal” and “strategically important,” sparking alarm in both Copenhagen and Brussels.
Mr Macron used his speech in Nice to defend the integrity of international treaties and restate his support for the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, which bans new claims on the continent, and for existing arrangements in the Arctic region.
He also took aim at Washington’s approach to climate policy, following the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement earlier this year – the second such exit under Mr Trump’s leadership.
“To win the battle for the oceans, we need to revive multilateralism,” he said, in remarks clearly designed to rally opposition to nationalist and isolationist approaches to global governance.
He continued: “Climate and biodiversity are not a question of opinion but a scientifically established fact.”
The French leader has made ocean protection and Arctic security key planks of his environmental agenda as France pushes for tighter controls on seabed mining and greenhouse gas emissions from shipping.
His comments reflect growing European concerns over the militarisation and commercial exploitation of the Arctic, as melting ice unlocks new shipping routes and exposes vast mineral reserves.
Greenland, while self-governing, remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Copenhagen has consistently rejected any idea of selling the island. Mr Trump’s previous 2019 suggestion that the US should buy Greenland was described as “absurd” by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
With US–European relations strained, Mr Macron’s latest remarks are likely to further inflame tensions between Paris and Washington, particularly as both countries compete for influence in an increasingly strategic polar region.