Amid repeated claims from US president-elect Donald Trump about the future of Greenland, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told him that “only Greenland” should decide its future, as Politico reported.
The two leaders held a phone call on Wednesday, during which Danish PM reiterated the statement made by Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede that “Greenland is not for sale,” according to a press release from Denmark’s PM office.
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Frederiksen mentioned to Danish media that their conversation “confirmed” the “great American interest in Greenland.” However, the call did not seem to resolve the issue, with both leaders agreeing to maintain an ongoing dialogue.
Earlier, Trump had expressed his interest in purchasing the mineral-rich island and suggested that he would not rule out military action in the region, as reported by Politico. While Trump did not comment directly on the call, he shared a 2019 poll on social media showing that 68% of Greenlanders supported independence from Denmark.
During their 45-minute conversation, Frederiksen also “emphasised the importance of strengthening security in the Arctic” and reminded Trump of the strong trade ties between the US and Denmark, as well as between the US and the EU more broadly, as reported by Politico.
The leaders also discussed the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, along with relations with China.
Trump had previously declined to rule out using military force to gain control of Greenland. His remarks came during a lengthy news conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence. When asked whether he could assure the world that the US would not use military or economic coercion in its efforts to control Greenland or the Panama Canal, Trump responded, “I can’t assure you, you’re talking about Panama and Greenland…No, I can’t assure you on either of those two. But I can say this — we need them for economic security.”
According to the Danish government website, Greenland is the world’s largest island that is not a continent. It has around 56,000 inhabitants, most of whom live in the 20% of the country not covered by ice and snow. Greenland has its own extensive local government but is also part of the Realm of Denmark.
