EU slams Trump's 'expansionist' Greenland agenda, vows to defend borders

France has said the European Union will not let other nations attack its sovereign borders while Germany opined borders must not be moved by force.

This is in response to US President-elect Donald Trump's comments on taking over Greenland.

Trump declined on Monday to rule out military or economic action as part of his avowed desire to have the US take control of Greenland, as well as the Panama Canal.

"We need Greenland for national security purposes," he declared.

His comments coincided with a private visit by his son Donald Trump Jr. to the mineral and oil-rich autonomous Danish territory on Tuesday.

"As always, the honourable principle of the United Nations Charter and the Helsinki Accords applies, namely that borders must not be moved by force," said a German government spokesperson at a regular news conference on Wednesday.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also said on Wednesday he did not believe the US would invade the vast Arctic island that has been part of Denmark for over 600 years.

"There is no question that the European Union would let other nations of the world attack its sovereign borders, whoever they are," he told France Inter radio. "We are a strong continent."

'Sovereign borders'

Trump's comments further outlined an expansionist agenda, two weeks before he was sworn into office at the January 20 inauguration in Washington.

"If you're asking me whether I think the United States will invade Greenland, my answer is no. But have we entered a period of survival of the fittest? Then my answer is yes," Barrot said.

"We are a strong continent. We need to strengthen ourselves more," he added.

He said the EU should not let itself be intimidated or be overly concerned but should wake up and strengthen.

France warned Trump against threatening the "sovereign borders" of the European Union.

Barrot described Greenland as "European territory". Greenland is associated with the European Union through Denmark, of which it is a self-governing territory.

"We need to wake up and reinforce ourselves, militarily, in competition, in a world where the law of the strongest prevails," he added

Barrot said he believed the United States is "inherently not imperialistic" and "did not believe" that it is changing.

At the news conference, Trump called the border with the United States' northern neighbour Canada an "artificially drawn line" and promised to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America."