Greenland’s prime minister on Tuesday thanked European leaders for their support after US President Donald Trump’s renewed claims on the self-governing Danish territory, and called for talks with the US administration.
The US military intervention in Venezuela has reignited Trump’s long-standing designs on the autonomous Danish territory in the Arctic, which has untapped rare earth deposits and could be a vital player as melting polar ice opens up new shipping routes.
But in the face of repeated claims from the US leader and his entourage in recent days, Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen again insisted that Greenland was not for sale and only Greenlanders should decide its future.
Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain earlier joined Denmark in saying that they would defend the “universal principles” of “sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders”.
“This support is important at a time when fundamental international principles are being challenged,” Nielsen wrote on social media. “For this support, I wish to express my deepest gratitude.
“At a time when the President of the United States has once again stated that the United States is very serious about Greenland, this support from our allies in NATO is both important and unequivocal.”
Washington already has a military base in Greenland, which is home to some 57,000 people.
Trump indicated on Sunday that a decision on Greenland may come “in about two months”, once the situation in Venezuela is less pressing.
– ‘Broken record’ –
The European leaders’ joint statement called Arctic security “a key priority” for the continent and “critical” for international and transatlantic security.
Denmark, including Greenland, was part of NATO, it added, urging a collective approach alongside the United States to security in the polar region.
The statement was signed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
The United States was “an essential partner in this endeavour”, they said, adding: “Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”
Nielsen repeated his call to the United States for a “respectful dialogue through the appropriate diplomatic and political channels, and through the use of existing forums based on agreements that already exist with the United States”.
“Such dialogue must take place with respect for the fact that Greenland’s status is grounded in international law and the principle of territorial integrity.”
Marc Jacobsen, a specialist in security, politics and diplomacy in the Arctic at the Royal Danish Defence College, said Trump’s rhetoric on Greenland had not changed since he first floated the idea of annexation.
“It’s like a broken record… you would think he (Trump) doesn’t really understand what Denmark and Greenland are saying,” he told AFP.
While Trump has claimed that Denmark cannot ensure the security of Greenland, Copenhagen has invested heavily in the sector, allocating some 90 billion kroner ($14 billion) in the last year.
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