Sir Keir Starmer set out his position on Greenland in call tonight with US President Donald Trump, Downing Street has said
A spokesman for the prime minister said the call also included a discussion about the interception of the Bella 1 tanker, also called the Marinera, which involved US and UK military forces.
Mr Trump has been vocal about his desire to annex the self-governing island, despite it being part of Denmark – a NATO ally.
On Tuesday, a joint statement from European allies, including the UK, reasserted that “Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland”.
The No 10 spokesperson said: “The prime minister spoke with President Trump this evening.
“They discussed the joint operation to intercept the Bella 1 as part of shared efforts to crack down on sanctions busting, recent progress on Ukraine and the US operation in Venezuela.
“The prime minister also set out his position on Greenland.”
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Earlier, the UK’s defence secretary used a statement to the Commons to explain that no UK personnel took part in the boarding of the ship, but that UK forces supported the operation “at the request of the US”.
John Healey said the oil tanker intercepted by the US was “falsely flagged” and that it is a “sanctioned, stateless vessel”.
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