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The leaders of Greenland, Mexico and Colombia are asserting their countries’ sovereignty and pushing back against pressure from Washington after Nicolás Maduro was ousted from power in Venezuela at the weekend.
This move has surprised world leaders, including those whose countries have faced threats of US intervention.
“We absolutely refuse to intervene in the internal affairs of other countries,” said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday, reiterating her nation’s opposition to Washington’s move and any form of intervention in Mexico.
Sheinbaum said Mexico is an independent country and cooperates with the US on drug trafficking and security, after US President Donald Trump announced military action in Mexico to fight drug cartels. Trump used the same rationale when removing Maduro, who faces drug-trafficking charges in New York.
“It is necessary for us to reaffirm that in Mexico the people rule, and that we are a free and independent country – cooperation, yes; submission and intervention, no,” he said.
Margaret Donovan, a former assistant US attorney and visiting lecturer at Yale Law School, explains the details of the case against ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and explains what might happen next.
Elsewhere in the Americas, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he strongly opposes any possible US strikes against drug traffickers in his country.
Petro said in X that his government had made record amounts of cocaine seizures and warned that the Trump administration would kill children if it carried out strikes against drug trafficking groups and rebels in Colombia.
Petro, who was a member of a left-wing guerrilla group in his youth, said he would “return to war” if the United States invaded Colombia.
He also said he recently fired Colombian intelligence officials who were feeding the US administration “false information” about his government.
Petro also rejected the accusations made by Trump about sending cocaine to the US
‘You can’t compare Greenland and Venezuela
At that time, the prime minister of Greenland said that his country wants to strengthen relations with the US, and its citizens should not fear that it will be taken over by America, following the renewed interest in Denmark’s independent territory by Trump, who expressed the strategic importance of Washington.
“We are not in a situation where we think that the country can be taken over overnight,” said Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen at a press conference in the capital Nuuk.
“You cannot compare Greenland and Venezuela. We are a democratic country.”
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One earlier Monday, Trump said he would revisit the topic in a few weeks.
Greenland’s strategic location between Europe and North America makes it a critical hub for the US missile defense system. The island’s valuable mineral resources also align with Washington’s desire to reduce dependence on Chinese imports.
The island – the largest in the world, with a population of 57,000 – is not an independent member of NATO but is covered by Denmark’s membership of the Western military alliance.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also dismissed Trump’s comments.
“I have made it clear where the Kingdom of Denmark is, and Greenland has repeatedly said that it does not want to be part of the United States,” he told public broadcaster DR.
Other European powers also rallied behind Greenland on Monday.
“Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark must decide the future of Greenland and no one else,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul suggested that NATO could discuss strengthening the defense of Greenland, while the European Union reiterated its commitment to the country’s sovereignty.
