Starmer 'sets out his position on Greenland' in call with Trump

Sir Keir Starmer has set out his position on Greenland in a call with US President Donald Trump, Downing Street says.

Mr Trump has been vocal about his desire to annex the territory, despite it being part of Denmark - a NATO ally. A spokesman for the prime minister said the call also included a discussion about the interception of the Bella 1 tanker, sometimes called the Marinera, which involved US and UK military forces.

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." That position was revealed in a joint statement on Tuesday, when 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".

Fears that the US will act against Greenland have mounted following the arrest of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in an audacious American raid on Caracas. In the aftermath, Mr Trump left the door open to further interventions in the western hemisphere by citing the Monroe Doctrine.

The policy, named after former president James Monroe, asserts the right of the US to intervene in foreign affairs across the Americas in its own interest. Mr Trump calls it the Donroe Doctrine, adapting it with his own name.

Against this backdrop, the US president has repeatedly raised the spectre of action over Greenland. On Monday, he spoke to Sky's US partner network NBC News about Greenland, saying that "we need it for national security, right now".

Despite opposition from Mr Trump's NATO allies, a subsequent statement from the White House pushed the envelope further by insisting that "utilizing the ‌US military is ‍always an option". Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that any such action against Greenland would spell the end of NATO.

???? Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app ???? 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 Bella 1, 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".

It was intercepted between Iceland and Scotland as it headed towards Russia on Wednesday..