France to open a consulate in Greenland on February 6

France will open a consulate in Greenland on February 6, a move that had been planned since last year, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday, amid the U.S. President Donald Trump's push to take control of the Arctic territory.

The United States must stop blackmailing Greenland and expressing that it wishes to take control over the autonomous Danish territory, he added on RTL radio.

"Attacking another NATO member would make no sense, it would even be contrary to the interests of the United States ... and so this blackmail must obviously stop," Barrot said.

-John Irish and Louise Rasmussen/Reuters