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Venezuela has rekindled concerns that Greenland might face a similar scenario. Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the United States.

“Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” said a joint statement issued by the leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark.

The leaders said security in the Arctic must be achieved collectively with Nato allies, including the United States.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the European leaders’ pledge of solidarity and renewed his call to the US for a “respectful dialogue”.

Greenland, the world’s largest island but with a population of just 57,000 people, is not an independent member of Nato but is covered by Denmark’s membership of the Western alliance.

The island’s strategic location between Europe and North America makes it a critical site for the US ballistic missile defence system. Its mineral wealth also aligns with Washington’s ambition to reduce reliance on Chinese exports.

Meanwhile, Venezuela’s security situation remained unclear yesterday after the US seized Nicolas Maduro and announced it would run the country.

Videos posted on social media showed armed men on the streets of Caracas. Tensions remained high in the capital, with shots reported overnight near the presidential palace.

Fifty-five Cuban and Venezuelan troops were killed during the US raid, according to tolls published yesterday.

Meanwhile, María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader, repeatedly praised Trump on Monday during a prime-time appearance on Fox News, her first televised interview since the capture of Maduro.

She even offered him the Nobel Peace Prize she was awarded in October, a prize Trump has coveted for years. Machado also said she plans to return home “as soon as possible,” and slammed the interim president Delcy Rodriguez in Caracas.