European leaders are clapping back after President Trump refused to rule out using military or economic forces to acquire Greenland.

During a press conference Wednesday, Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, downplayed the possibility that Greenland, which has been part of Denmark for 600 years, might become the 51st state of America. 

“We fully recognise that Greenland has its own ambitions. If they materialise, Greenland will become independent, though hardly with an ambition to become a federal state in the United States,” Mr. Rasmussen told reporters. Greenland, which is home to more than 56,000 people, is an autonomous territory of Denmark. 

Though the Danish minister acknowledged that America had legitimate security concerns in the Arctic, given Russia and Communist China’s recent activities in the region, he expressed doubt that the current situation would amount to a “foreign policy crisis.” He added: “We are open to a dialogue with the Americans on how we can possibly cooperate even more closely than we do to ensure that the American ambitions are fulfilled.”

Amid Trump’s escalating rhetoric about the Arctic Island, Greenland’s prime minister, Mute Egede, departed for Copenhagen on Tuesday to meet with Denmark’s king. The same day, Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., visited Greenland, though his trip is not marked as an official visit.

“Don Jr. and my Reps landing in Greenland,” Trump wrote on Truth social on Tuesday, attaching a video of a “Trump” plane landing at Nuuk. He added: “The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!” 

Now, though, other European countries are coming to Greenland’s defense. France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, while speaking on French radio, made it clear that the European Union would not let America annex Greenland without a fight. He told France Inter radio on Wednesday: “There is obviously no question that the European Union would not let other nations of the world attack its sovereign borders, whoever they are. We are a strong continent.” He maintains, however, that an American invasion of Greenland is an unlikely outcome. 

The German government has said that Berlin stands by the principle that borders must not be changed by force. A spokeswoman for the European Commission said that “It is clear that the sovereignty of states has to be respected.” 

Trump floated the idea of purchasing Greenland during his presidential campaign and has, in recent days, been upping the ante. On Tuesday, the president-elect said that he would not “commit” to ruling out the use of “military or economic coercion” to take control of Greenland. Trump has said that Greenland, which houses a key American military base, is needed by America for “national security purposes.” 

Denmark, meanwhile, has insisted that Greenland, the world’s largest island, is not for sale. The Danish prime minister said on Tuesday that Greenland’s government “has been very, very clear — that there is a lot of support among the people of Greenland that Greenland is not for sale and will not be in the future either.”