Denmark’s prime minister said Thursday that US President-elect Donald Trump’s provocative remarks about taking control of Greenland had led to a “serious” situation unresolved by a phone call between the two leaders.
Trump, who takes office on January 20, set off alarm bells in early January by refusing to rule out military intervention to bring the Panama Canal and Greenland — which is an autonomous Danish territory — under US control.
Just before Christmas, Trump had said that “for purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity”.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Thursday that Trump had not withdrawn a threat to hit the Scandinavian nation with tariffs to reach his ends, during a 45-minute phone call the day before.
“This is a serious situation,” she told a press briefing.
“The Americans have suggested that, unfortunately, we could find ourselves in a situation where we work less together than we do today in the sphere of economics,” said Frederiksen, who is preparing to meet the leaders of Denmark’s largest companies on Thursday afternoon.
The United States is Denmark’s biggest export market.
In a statement, Frederiksen’s office said Wednesday that she told Trump “that it is up to Greenland itself to decide on independence” during their phone call.
Frederiksen also pointed to Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede’s comment “that Greenland is not for sale,” according to the statement.
Egede on Monday said that the territory was open to even closer ties with the United States, Greenlandic public broadcaster KNR reported.
Trump first claimed that he wanted to buy Greenland in 2019 during his first term as president — an offer swiftly rebuffed by Greenland and Denmark.
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