The new Greenland Prime Minister responded to Donald Trump’s repeated calls to the United States to control autonomous Danish territory, saying the island is not “a portion of the property that can be purchased.”
On a visit to Copenhagen on Sunday, Jens-Frederik Nielsen said Greenland and Denmark need to stand together in the face of “disrespectful” American rhetoric.
He was talking with Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredericksen.
In an even more iconic gesture, Nielsen is set to return to Greenland on Monday with Danish king Frederick.
“We’re never going to be an asset that anyone can buy, and that’s the message I think is most important to understand,” said Nielsen, who became Greenland’s prime minister in April this year.
He added that Greenland and Denmark need to approach the new foreign policy situation.
Trump has repeatedly said he has sparked rage in both Denmark and Greenland, and wants to put the Arctic Island under US control.
In a speech to Parliament in March, Trump said that Greenland’s rule is “essential to national and international security.”
He raised the idea of buying an island and previously refused to rule out the use of military force, but last month, US vice president JD Vance said, “I don’t think military force will be needed.”
Despite criticism of Trump’s words, Nielsen and Fredericksen on Sunday said they were willing to meet the US president for consultation.
Nielsen also reiterated that Greenland is ready to deepen its relationship with the United States, saying, “We are ready for strong partnerships and more development, but we look forward to respect.”
Nielsen’s visit to Denmark follows Fredericksen’s own trip to Greenland earlier this month.
“You cannot annex other countries,” her message to the then President of the United States.
It follows Vance’s whirlwind visit to the territory that has been widely criticized in both Denmark and Greenland, and he repeated Trump’s ambitions, claiming that Copenhagen “doesn’t do a good job” for the Greenlanders.
Greenland, the world’s largest island, has been ruled by Denmark for about 300 years. The island governs its own domestic issues, but foreign and defence policy decisions are being made in Copenhagen.
The United States has long been bringing security benefits to the island. It has had military bases there since World War II, and Trump may also be interested in rare earth minerals that could be mined.
The majority of Greenlanders want to be independent from Denmark, but don’t want to be part of the US, according to polls.
The new coalition government in Greenland, formed in March, is led by Nielsen’s Central Right Democrats, and supports a gradual approach to independence.
