The leaders of Denmark and Greenland on Sunday called on US President Donald Trump to stop threatening to take over Greenland.
The appeals come after Trump again insisted that the US needs to control the resource-rich Arctic territory for national security, a day after US forces attacked Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro.
In an interview on Sunday with The Atlantic magazine, Trump said: “We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense.” He added that the island is “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.”
On Sunday evening, Trump told reporters on board Air Force One that the US needs Greenland “from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”
What did the leaders of Denmark and Greenland say?
In a statement, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said, “It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the US needing to take over Greenland. The US has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom.”
The Kingdom of Denmark consists of three self-governing parts: Denmark proper (the mainland and its islands), the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
These territories are united under a single sovereign state and share foreign policy, defense, and currency. However, the Faroe Islands and Greenland enjoy significant autonomy.
As members of NATO, Denmark and the US are allies.
Frederiksen also strongly urged the US to stop the threats against a historically close ally and “against another country and another people, who have very clearly said that they are not for sale.”
Meanwhile, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said in a statement: “When the President of the United States says that ‘we need Greenland’ and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it’s not just wrong. It’s disrespectful.”
Social media post sparks discontent
Since returning to the presidency in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly threatened to annex Greenland, not ruling out the use of military force to do so.
The US operation in Venezuela has brought renewed focus on Trump’s plans for Greenland.
On Saturday evening, Katie Miller, the wife of senior White House official Stephen Miller, posted a map of Greenland in the colors of the US flag on X. She added a single word in capital letters: “SOON.”
Nielsen called the post “disrespectful,” but said that “there is neither reason for panic nor for concern.” “Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts,” he added.
Jesper Moller Sorensen, Denmark’s ambassador to Washington, also weighed into the diplomatic spat. He reposted the map on X and wrote, “Just a friendly reminder about the US and the Kingdom of Denmark: We are close allies and should continue to work together as such.”
Trump’s push for Greenland
On December 21, Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, prompting renewed criticism from Denmark and Greenland.
Landry publicly supports Trump’s idea of annexing Greenland.
The Arctic island’s location between Europe and North America makes it an important site for the US ballistic missile defense system.
Its mineral wealth is also attractive to the US, which hopes to reduce its reliance on Chinese exports.
Although Greenland has the right to declare independence under a 2009 agreement, it relies heavily on Danish subsidies. (DW)