Greenland’s prime minister has firmly rejected renewed suggestions from President Donald Trump that the Arctic territory should become part of the United States, as European leaders voiced concern over Washington’s growing assertiveness abroad.
The remarks came as Washington’s military intervention in Venezuela fuelled fears in Europe that the United States could seek to use force or pressure to advance strategic interests elsewhere, including mineral-rich Greenland.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while travelling to Washington, Trump again argued that the United States needed Greenland for security reasons.
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“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he said. “We’ll worry about Greenland in about two months. Let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days.”
The response from Nuuk was swift and blunt.
“That’s enough now,” Greenland Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen wrote on Facebook.
“No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation. We are open to dialogue, but this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law.”
France joined Denmark in pushing back against the rhetoric. Pascal Confavreu, French Foreign Ministry spokesman, said borders could not be changed by force, expressing Paris’s solidarity with Copenhagen.
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Trump’s comments followed the US operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, now detained in New York. The US president has said Washington will run Venezuela indefinitely and tap its vast oil reserves.
Asked by The Atlantic magazine whether the Venezuela operation had implications for Greenland, Trump was dismissive.
“They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know,” he said, before adding: “But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence.”
Nordic leaders lined up in support of Denmark and Greenland. Finland President Alexander Stubb wrote on X that no one could decide for Greenland and Denmark except Greenland and Denmark themselves, a message echoed by leaders in Sweden and Norway.
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Tensions rose further after former Trump aide Katie Miller posted an image of Greenland coloured like the US flag, captioned “soon”. Nielsen described the post as disrespectful, saying Greenland was not for sale and its future would not be decided on social media.
Mette Frederiksen, Denmark’s prime minister, also urged Washington to stop threatening a historic ally, calling the idea of US control over Greenland absurd and stressing that Denmark and Greenland are NATO members covered by the alliance’s security guarantees.
Jesper Moeller Soerensen, Denmark’s ambassador to the United States, struck a measured tone, reminding Washington that Copenhagen had boosted Arctic security and worked closely with the United States.
“We are close allies and should continue to work together as such,” he said.
