Donald Trump has exhausted the patience of Greenland’s political leadership, which has united to reject the U.S. president’s repeated threats to annex—even by force—the island, an autonomous territory of Denmark.
- Greenland, the world’s largest island, is located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans and has been under Danish control for roughly 300 years, despite being nearly 3,000 kilometers from the European country.
- Tensions Continue to Rise
- Rutte Has Faced Criticism in Both Greenland and Denmark for Not Reprimanding Trump and for Saying He Would “Leave That Issue Aside.”
In a show of unity, leaders from the five parties represented in the Inatsisartut (the regional Parliament) issued a joint statement declaring they “cannot accept the repeated statements about the annexation and control of Greenland.”
“We consider this behavior toward a friend and ally unacceptable,” they added.
The statement came after a meeting Thursday between Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, where the president appeared to double down on his efforts to gain control of the island.
The declaration was spearheaded by outgoing Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute B. Egede, whose party was defeated in Tuesday’s elections.
“Our country will never be part of the United States, and Greenlanders will never be Americans,” Egede wrote on Facebook.
“Stop disrespecting us. Enough is enough,” the leader added.
Greenland, the world’s largest island, is located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans and has been under Danish control for roughly 300 years, despite being nearly 3,000 kilometers from the European country.
Despite its vast size, Greenland is sparsely populated, with around 56,000 inhabitants, most of them Inuit (formerly known as Eskimos).
Since about 80% of its surface is covered in ice, the population is concentrated along the southwestern coast, around the capital, Nuuk.
The territory enjoys autonomy and manages its internal affairs, but decisions on foreign and defense policy are made in Copenhagen.
Throughout history, the U.S. has shown interest in the island for security reasons.
Washington has maintained a military base there since World War II, and Trump is likely also interested in the rare earth minerals that could be extracted from its subsoil.
Tensions Continue to Rise
Greenland was already on the defensive over Trump’s recent statements about the potential annexation of the island.
However, his comments this week to Rutte at the White House caused even greater shock. Why? The president hinted that NATO’s help might be needed to seize the territory.
“You know, Mark, we need that (Greenland) for international security… we have a lot of our favorite actors near the coast, and we need to be careful,” Trump said.
“We’ll talk to you about it,” he added.
When asked about the possibility of annexation, Trump stated, “I think that will happen.”
Rutte Has Faced Criticism in Both Greenland and Denmark for Not Reprimanding Trump and for Saying He Would “Leave That Issue Aside.”
“I don’t want to involve NATO in this,” he said.
In contrast, the NATO secretary general praised Trump—something several world leaders have done before—stating that the U.S. president was “absolutely right” to prioritize security in the Arctic.
In their joint statement, Greenland’s politicians emphasized their united opposition to Trump’s plans.
“Greenland continues to work for Greenland,” the statement reads.
“We all support this effort and firmly distance ourselves from attempts to sow discord,” the island’s politicians added.
Finally, they concluded: “Greenland is a country we all stand behind.”
The parties’ statement came just days after elections, in which the center-right opposition, the Democratic Party, secured a surprising victory.
The election winner, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who is likely to become the territory’s new prime minister, is now negotiating with other parties to form a coalition.
Image: Opinion
