Sweden FM refutes world where great powers are not controlled

(MENAFN) Sweden’s foreign minister has voiced strong opposition to a global order in which major powers act without restraint, responding to renewed US statements regarding Greenland and recent US military action in Venezuela that led to the detention of President Nicolas Maduro.

“I do not want to live in a world where there are great powers that do as they please. That is why it's important for Sweden to stand up for international law at this very critical stage,” Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said in remarks to national media on Wednesday.

She described recent US rhetoric about taking control of Greenland as deeply concerning, emphasizing that the territory is not for sale. Stenergard said Denmark and the United States need to address the fallout from these statements and restore the cooperative relationship that has traditionally defined their ties, rather than continuing with escalating rhetoric.

According to the foreign minister, the current moment represents a decisive test for whether the principles of international law will continue to be respected or eroded. She added that Sweden’s government views the recent US military operation in Venezuela as incompatible with international law.

Referring to discussions at the UN Security Council, where Denmark warned that the US actions could set a dangerous precedent, Stenergard said she shared that assessment. She noted that Washington framed its intervention not within the framework of international law, but instead as a crime-fighting effort.

Following the Jan. 3 US operation in Venezuela that resulted in Maduro’s capture, President Donald Trump again raised the idea of taking over Greenland, citing “national security” interests. Greenland remains an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and has repeatedly dismissed any proposals suggesting a transfer of sovereignty to the United States.

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