Polish official Jacek Sasin downplayed tensions over Greenland, calling US-Denmark talks sufficient and cautioning against European overreaction.
Sasin on Greenland: Matter Between US and Denmark
Jacek Sasin, during an interview with Konrad Piasecki on TVN24, was asked about the conflict surrounding Greenland and the deployment of European troops to joint exercises on the island. He agreed that the situation is becoming “more serious” but assessed that “nervous reactions from certain European countries” are “inadequate to what is actually happening.”
“This is a matter between two states: Denmark and the United States, which have engaged in dialogue, are in conversation, and various proposals are being made – at least as reported by the media – on how to resolve the issue,” Sasin stated. Although Danish and Greenlandic diplomats have spoken with American diplomacy, it has not led to a breakthrough. Washington continues to emphasize its intention to take over the island, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark, and a White House spokeswoman indicated that various options, including military actions, are being considered.
Sasin: US Guarantor of Security
When asked whether negotiations between the US and Denmark make sense, the PiS politician responded that “it depends on the nature of the negotiations.” He stated that it would be naive to try to negotiate with Putin pretending that a solution could be found with “such a person as Putin.” In his view, talks with the United States are different because they are a “predictable country that respects rules,” and “speculations about a US invasion of Denmark or Greenland can be put between fairy tales.”
“For us, as Poland, such a situation is not good when there is a rift between this part of Europe, which is our ally, and the United States, which is the guarantor of our security,” he added. He pointed out that the United States “has always been a country that put its national interest, its security interest, first.”
Donald Tusk on Potential US Intervention
Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk had commented on the crisis surrounding Greenland. Along with representatives of other European countries, he issued a statement emphasizing that the island “belongs to its inhabitants” and that “the right to make decisions concerning Denmark and Greenland belongs exclusively to Denmark and Greenland.”
During a press conference on January 15, the Prime Minister answered a question from Gazeta.pl’s Marta Rawicz about whether a US takeover of Greenland is realistic. “Perhaps today is not the time and place for a detailed analysis of the geopolitical and military consequences of a potential US military intervention in Greenland. This would be – politically and from our perspective – a catastrophe,” he responded. “A conflict or an attempt to seize the territory of a NATO state by another NATO state – and by the United States at that – would be the end of the world as we know it and which has guaranteed us security for decades.”
