Greenland’s newly elected Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, has firmly stated that the autonomous Danish territory will not become part of the United States.
His remarks come in response to recent comments made by former US President Donald Trump, who reiterated his desire to acquire the resource-rich island.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Nielsen expressed Greenland’s stance: “President Trump says the United States ‘will get Greenland.’ Let me be clear: The United States will not get Greenland. We don’t belong to anyone else. We decide our own future.”
Trump, during an interview with NBC News on Sunday, maintained his position, stating confidently: “We’ll get Greenland. Yeah, 100 percent.”
This exchange is the latest in a series of tense interactions involving the United States, Denmark, and Greenland. The situation escalated recently when US Vice President JD Vance visited a US military base located on the vast Arctic island.
Following Vance’s visit, Danish officials voiced their dissatisfaction with his remarks. On Saturday, Danish diplomacy criticised Vance’s “tone” after he publicly claimed that Denmark “has not done a good job by the people of Greenland.”
In response to the ongoing tension, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced a visit to Greenland from Wednesday to Friday, aimed at “strengthening unity” between Denmark and its Arctic territory.
Meanwhile, political developments within Greenland have seen significant movement. Four out of the five parties represented in the Greenlandic Parliament recently formed a coalition government. While all the main parties share the goal of achieving independence, they remain divided on the path to take.
The growing American interest in Greenland played a role in accelerating the coalition formation, with the Naleraq party—the only party advocating for rapid independence—opting out of the alliance.
