【By Guo, Guancha者 Net, Liu Bai】

What hidden "fears" lie beneath the surface unity of Europe when faced with the strong threats from the United States?

A batch of confidential U.S. State Department cables disclosed by the American "Politico" website on January 29 have revealed the private considerations and dilemmas of European allies on the issue of Greenland, and the most painful fact is that even though President Trump has pushed European leaders to the brink of collapse, most European countries still find it difficult to break free from their deep dependence on the United States.

In particular, Finland is deeply worried about the American threat, not only pleading with the U.S. not to escalate things, but also urgently clarifying that the deployment of troops for military exercises in Greenland was a "misunderstanding".

The report said that these confidential cables allowed the outside world to glimpse the true views of U.S. allies on Trump's "island seizing". Earlier this month, several European countries once loudly announced the deployment of troops to Greenland to demonstrate "solidarity", but the minimal number of troops deployed by each country also showed how genuine the determination of Europe was to resist the U.S.

Finland sent "a total of" two people in this operation. According to one cable, Foreign Minister Eriikka Välimäki told the U.S.: "We don't want a divorce, especially not a messy one (Let’s not get a divorce, especially not a messy one)."

Another cable dated January 20, issued by the U.S. embassy in Finland, showed that the office of the Foreign Minister of Finland was deeply concerned about Trump's tariff threats. Trump had previously threatened to impose tariffs on European countries that participated in military exercises in Greenland.

Välimäki

The cable shows that Välimäki was eager to ease the tense relationship between the two sides.

She told visiting U.S. lawmakers that the arrival of a small number of soldiers in Greenland was a "misunderstanding".

She also said that Finland had no intention of doing anything that would be harmful to the U.S., and that these officers—"just a few people"—had already returned to Finland.

She downplayed the possibility of retaliation from the EU due to the tariff threat, saying it was merely a negotiation strategy, and stated that she would push the EU to "take all measures to prevent a trade war".

The Finnish government did not respond to the request for comment.

When asked about these cables, the U.S. State Department cited Secretary of State Rubio, saying that the consultations between the U.S., Denmark, and Greenland had started and "will become a routine process," but did not reveal any details. Rubio said, "We still have some work to do, but we will eventually reach an ideal result, and everyone will soon hear the same statement from European colleagues."

Incidentally, China was also mentioned in these cables.

A cable sent by the U.S. embassy in China on January 21 claimed that China was eager to "gain benefits" from Trump's actions regarding Greenland. U.S. diplomats speculated in the cable that this situation "provided an opportunity for China to profit from Europe's strategic hedging posture," or could "intensify transatlantic tensions".

However, this cable, which cited Chinese state media and analysts, also stated that China realized that the U.S. expanding its military presence in Greenland may hinder China's Arctic strategic goals and "consolidate the U.S. military and infrastructure advantages in the region".

It is reported that Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the U.S., did not directly respond to the content of the cable, but stated that all of China's actions comply with international law. He said, "China's activities in the Arctic aim to promote peace, stability, and sustainable development in the region."

Last week, Trump withdrew his months-long threats of possibly seizing Greenland by force and launching a trade war against NATO allies over the issue. He announced that he had reached a "framework for a future agreement" with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

According to a European diplomat and another person familiar with the planning, the plan discussed by Trump and Rutte included three main points.

One of them is allowing the U.S. to have complete sovereignty over its bases in Greenland, similar to the rights the UK has in Cyprus. The U.S. would also be allowed to establish more bases, but Denmark would have veto power over the specific locations. Like other interviewees, these individuals requested anonymity because they were discussing internal plans.

This framework also includes the possibility of incorporating Trump's "Gold Dome" defense system into the plan, as well as a NATO mission focused on the Arctic. At the same time, the plan would grant the U.S. priority in natural resource development projects.

It remains unclear how long it will take to finalize the details or to get Greenland and Denmark to accept this plan.

Analysts say that Rutte quickly took action to seek a compromise, using the NATO mechanism and taking advantage of Europe's eagerness to maintain alliance solidarity, urging allies to increase cooperation in the Arctic security field.

A senior NATO diplomat described Rutte as "very persistent".

This NATO leader has specific options to offer to Trump, trying to coordinate the positions of various countries. As the crisis escalated, he called "for many days" with national security advisors and leaders of multiple countries, including Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, French President Macron, Italian Prime Minister Meloni, German Chancellor Merkel, British Prime Minister Starmer, and Trump himself.

But European officials remain concerned about the current diplomatic situation and are unsure what Trump really wants.

"Integration is what NATO needs most now," said one European official, "and the U.S. bringing up the Greenland issue was a big mistake."

This article is exclusive to Guancha者 Net. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7600981321355248179/

Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.