German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says the principle of inviolability of borders applies to every country, however powerful.

France and Germany on Wednesday warned Donald Trump against threatening "sovereign borders" after the US president-elect refused to rule out military action to take Greenland, an autonomous territory of European Union member Denmark.

"As always, the honourable principle of the United Nations Charter and the Helsinki Accords applies, namely that borders must not be moved by force," said a spokesperson at a regular news conference.

European Union sanctions in Syria that obstruct the delivery of humanitarian aid and hinder the country's recovery could be lifted swiftly, France's foreign minister said Wednesday. The United States on Monday issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months after the end of Bashar al-Assad's rule to try to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance.