Outgoing Minister of Foreign Affairs David van Weel (VVD) was very decisive: “We as Europe are not going to go to war with the United States over Greenland.”
On Thursday, the parliamentary standing committee for Foreign Affairs consulted with Van Weel about the situation in Venezuela after the American attack and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro, but the discussion kept returning to the same point: the threatening imperialist language of the Trump administration.
Since Operation ‘Absolute Resolve’, everything seems to be loose in Washington. President Trump threatened Cuba, Colombia and Mexico and reiterated his desire to annex Greenland, part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, subsequently refused in an interview with CNN to rule out military intervention – which created an atmosphere of crisis on both sides of the Atlantic.
Van Weel tried to radiate calm in front of an alarmed House of Representatives. He did this by giving a rare insight into the telephone conversations he had with American colleague Marco Rubio and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. According to diplomatic mores, it is actually inappropriate to display something foreign counterparts have said. Van Weel did that now – and that provided new insights.
Rubio had previously announced that he would hold talks with Danish and Greenland representatives next week. Van Weel already revealed what Minister Rasmussen’s efforts will be. The Danes hope to have a conversation about how they can “accommodate” the US strategic interests in Greenland (the White House argument) within the existing treaties, Van Weel said – “without these kinds of extreme options” (annexation).
A look behind the scenes
Rasmussen had urged him not to add fuel to the fire for the time being by making “too wild statements”, Van Weel said, because that could lead to new American reactions on stage. According to the minister, French preparations for a European response to military annexation can therefore count on “little enthusiasm” in Copenhagen.
The minister also gave a look behind the American scenes. According to Van Weel – who calls himself a Realpolitiker believes – behind the boastful tone of the White House and Trump’s chaotic press conferences lies a well-considered strategy for Venezuela, of which Rubio is said to be “the architect”.
According to Van Weel, Washington has learned from regime changes in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the US purged the ruling class, after which the countries sank into chaos. This time, Washington is trying to achieve a “transformation” through a combination of pressure and negotiations with interim President Delcy Rodríguez, Van Weel said: release of political prisoners, economic cooperation with the US and free democratic elections. “That is the plan as it was told to me and that I wanted to share with you completely openly.”
MPs
Not all MPs were immediately reassured. Van Weel could base himself on Rubio, said foreign affairs spokesperson Hanneke van der Werf (D66), but Stepen Miller and Vice President JD Vance also had President Trump’s ear, right?
Tom van der Lee (GroenLinks-PvdA) wanted to know from Van Weel whether Van Weel acknowledged that the American attack on Venezuela was a violation of international law: “are you prepared to condemn this action?”
Van Weel also wanted to be somewhat open in this area – although he carefully avoided being too harsh in his condemnation of Washington. “Based on the information I have now,” the minister said, “I cannot see how this action complies with international law.” At the request of Christine Teunissen (Party for the Animals), Van Weel also wanted to reveal that he had “brought this across” (diplomatic language for ‘conveyed’) in his conversation with Rubio.
Europe
However, the minister dismissed the argument from Parliament that other countries have gone a lot further in their criticism of the US. Twenty-six countries (the EU minus Hungary) had issued a joint (rather cautious, ed.) statement, Van Weel said, and the European Union must speak with one voice to be able to exert any influence.
The minister endorsed calls from Parliament (D66, Volt) to reform the EU’s foreign policy, by henceforth taking decisions on the basis of a qualified majority of countries (and not on the basis of unanimity). “If we want to relate to the world of the great powers, we must also learn to speak the language of power again,” the minister said.
All this did not mean that VVD member Van Weel – who previously held a top position at NATO – is very enthusiastic about prospects of a European army. Despite the fact that the North Atlantic Alliance is going through the biggest crisis in its existence, he said the alliance will remain crucial for the defense of Europe “for the next twenty years”. Van Weel also warned against blowing up relations with the US – despite the fact that Washington is threatening to deploy troops against a NATO ally. Amid the dark forces in the world, the US remains “the country with which we share the most values,” the minister said with conviction.
There weren’t many questions after that. The debate, Jan Struijs (50Plus) concluded, had taken on “the character of a briefing” rather than a political discussion. Most MPs seemed content with that.
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