French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian expressed his country’s solidarity with the people of Greenland during his visit, condemning recent US pressures and interventions as “unacceptable maneuvers showing a lack of respect,” without naming the United States explicitly.

Le Drian said in statements on Sunday from Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, that his visit “sends a message of European solidarity and French support to Denmark, Greenland, and its people.”

The French minister confirmed that France will support a project to map mineral resources beneath Greenland’s surface.

He added, “A French mission will soon visit Nuuk to lay the foundations for this cooperation with our friends.”

Le Drian emphasized that “Greenland is not for sale,” echoing remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited Greenland in mid-June to express European solidarity with its people and criticized US President Donald Trump’s attempts to acquire the island.

The French minister’s visit comes three days after a Danish TV report revealed that at least three Americans linked to President Trump’s administration tried to gather information on past issues that caused tensions between Greenland and Denmark, including the forced removal of children from their families.

Following this, the Danish Foreign Ministry summoned the US chargé d’affaires, and Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen condemned any attempts to harm relations between Denmark and Greenland or to create a “fifth column.”

Greenland, located in the Arctic, enjoys self-rule under Danish sovereignty.

Trump’s threats to seize the resource-rich island have drawn global attention to the region, especially as he refused to rule out using force to control it.

Trump asserted that the US needs to acquire Greenland for national and international security, but Denmark and Greenland have firmly rejected his attempts. Greenland also has the right to declare independence from Denmark through a referendum.