On Sunday night, December 4, Denmark and Greenland called on U.S. President Donald Trump to cease threatening to annex Greenland after he reaffirmed his intention to do so in an interview with The Atlantic.
The idea that the United States should annex Greenland is completely nonsensical. In a statement, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said, “The United States has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom.”
“We do need Greenland, absolutely,” Trump said to the magazine. It is necessary for our defense.”
His comments came a day after the United States had taken control of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and declared that Washington would govern the Latin American nation. This raised fears in Denmark that Greenland, a Danish territory with its own government, might face similar pressure.
“I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. 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,” Frederiksen said.
Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also criticised Trump’s comments, calling them both inaccurate and offensive.
“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,” Nielsen said.
Greenland has become a renewed focus of U.S. attention after Trump on December 21 named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to the island, a move that drew criticism from both Denmark and Greenland. Trump has repeatedly advocated for Greenland to become part of the United States, an idea Landry has publicly supported.
The Arctic island’s strategic location between Europe and North America makes it a key element of the U.S. ballistic missile defence system, while its vast mineral resources have attracted interest as Washington seeks to reduce dependence on Chinese exports.
Greenland, a former Danish colony, gained the right to declare independence under a 2009 agreement but remains heavily dependent on financial support from Denmark. Copenhagen has spent the past year trying to repair strained relations with Greenland while also easing tensions with the Trump administration by increasing investment in Arctic defence.