NUUK, Greenland (AP) — The leaders of Denmark and the country's territory of Greenland on Tuesday offered a united front against President Donald Trump's calls for the United States to take over the strategic Arctic island on the eve of critical meetings in Washington on the matter.
In perhaps their sharpest pushback to date, Denmark and Greenland's prime ministers underscored that the territory is part of Denmark, and thus covered by the umbrella of the NATO military alliance. A U.S. attempt to take over or force the secession of the massive island would tear apart the transatlantic alliance, which has been a linchpin of post-World War II security.
But Trump brushed off the concern, telling reporters in Washington, “That's their problem.”
The leaders, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, sought to underscore their solidarity as their foreign ministers, Denmark's Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland's Vivian Motzfeldt, prepared for talks at the White House on Wednesday with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“Dear Greenlanders, you should know that we stand together today, we will do so tomorrow, and we will continue to do so," Frederiksen said during a joint press conference in Copenhagen.
“If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU," said Greenland's Nielsen.
Tensions have grown this month as Trump has ramped up calls for a U.S. takeover of the island. He has repeatedly said he's considering a range of options, including military force, to acquire Greenland.
Asked by reporters about Nielsen's comments saying Greenland preferred to stay with Denmark, Trump said: “I disagree with him. I don’t know who he is. I don’t know anything about him. But, that’s going to be a big problem for him.”
Trump earlier this week reiterated his argument that the U.S. needs to “take Greenland,” otherwise Russia or China would. He also says he’d rather “make a deal” for the territory, “but one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland.”
In Greenland, ‘children are afraid,’ official says
Danish officials have made clear they are open to expanding cooperation with the U.S. military in Greenland, but have repeatedly stated the territory is not for sale.
Since 1945, the American military presence in Greenland has decreased from thousands of soldiers over 17 bases and installations on the island to just the remote Pituffik Space Base in the northwest with roughly 200 soldiers today. The base supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations for the U.S. and NATO.
Denmark’s parliament approved a bill last June to allow U.S. military bases on Danish soil. It widened a previous military agreement, made in 2023 with the Biden administration, where U.S. troops had broad access to Danish air bases in the Scandinavian country.
Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s minister for business and mineral resources, said it’s “unfathomable” that the United States is discussing taking over a NATO ally and urged the Trump administration to listen to voices from the Arctic island's people. Nathanielsen added that people in Greenland are “very, very worried” over the U.S. administration’s desire for control of Greenland.
“People are not sleeping, children are afraid, and it just fills everything these days. And we can’t really understand it,” Nathanielsen said at a meeting with lawmakers in Britain’s Parliament.
Meanwhile, Danish officials have also sought to underscore that Denmark has remained a faithful ally of the United States.
A Danish government official confirmed on Tuesday that Denmark provided U.S. forces in the east Atlantic with support last week as they intercepted an oil tanker for alleged violations of U.S. sanctions.
The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly on the sensitive matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, declined to provide details about what the support entailed.
The U.S. interception in the Atlantic capped a weeks-long pursuit of the tanker that began in the Caribbean Sea as the U.S. imposed a blockade in the waters of Venezuela aimed at capturing sanctioned vessels coming in and out of the South American country.
The White House and Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Danish support for the U.S. operation was first reported by Newsmax.
Separately, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte refused to be drawn into the dispute, insisting that it was not his role to get involved.
“I never, ever comment when there are discussions within the alliance,” Rutte said, at the European Parliament in Brussels. “My role has to be to make sure we solve issues.”
He said that the 32-nation military alliance must focus on providing security in the Arctic region, which includes Greenland. “When it comes to the protection of the High North, that is my role.”
Nathanielsen said Greenlanders understand the need for increased monitoring in the Arctic amid growing geopolitical insecurity. But she said “it is just unfathomable to understand” that Greenland could be facing the prospect of being sold or annexed.
A bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation is headed to Copenhagen for meetings on Friday and Saturday in an attempt to show unity between the United States and Denmark.
Nathanielsen said she thinks the people of Greenland should have a say in their own future.
“My deepest dream or hope is that the people of Greenland will get a say no matter what," she said. "For others this might be a piece of land, but for us it’s home.”
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Moulson reported from Berlin and Madhani from Washington. Jill Lawless in London, Darlene Superville and Matthew Lee in Washington and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.
