UK's finance minister Reeves calls for Greenland de-escalation

UK's finance minister Reeves calls for Greenland de-escalation

UK's Call for De-escalation

LONDON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Britain's finance minister Rachel Reeves said on Tuesday that it was important to de-escalate the situation over Greenland, the island which U.S. President Donald Trump has said his country should own.

Reeves' Statements on Greenland

"We absolutely want to de-escalate," Reeves told a Bloomberg event at the World Economic Forum in Davos. "The future of Greenland is for the people of Greenland."

Prime Minister's Appeal for Calm

"I don't think it's in anyone's interest to escalate tensions or to allow rhetoric to be a substitute for hard work and diplomacy," Reeves added.

European Leaders' Reactions

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Monday for calm discussion to avert a possible trade war with the United States over Greenland, appealing to President Donald Trump to respect alliances such as NATO rather than undermine them.

Some European leaders have advocated a tougher line against Trump and France's foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, said on Tuesday that his country wanted the European Union to suspend a trade deal with the United States.

Reeves said she did not believe that a renegotiation would be productive.

"We would just urge people to keep cool heads. That's what we did all through last year and it actually served us pretty well," she said.

(Reporting by David Milliken; additional reporting by William James and Catarina Demony; editing by Sarah Young)