India, Jan. 6 -- European leaders moved swiftly to underline Greenland's sovereignty after renewed comments by U.S. President Donald Trump about taking over the Arctic island. In a rare joint statement, leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain, and Denmark said the territory belongs solely to its people and cannot be claimed by any outside power.

The statement came amid growing unease in Europe following recent U.S. military actions elsewhere and Trump's repeated assertions that Greenland holds strategic importance for American defence interests.

The leaders issued a clear and unified message on who decides Greenland's future. "Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide ...