Denmark Prime Minister urges Trump to stop threats to take over Greenland

COPENHAGEN – The leaders of Denmark and Greenland on Sunday urged U.S. President Donald Trump to stop threatening to take over Greenland, after he again expressed interest in the territory in an interview with The Atlantic magazine.

“It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the U.S. needing to take over Greenland. The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement on Sunday.

Trump told the magazine, “We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense.”

His remarks came a day after the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, with the U.S. president stating that Washington would govern the Latin American country. This raised concerns in Denmark that a similar approach could be attempted in Greenland, a Danish territory.

Frederiksen added, “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.”

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also responded on Sunday, saying, “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.”

Strategically Important Island

Trump named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland on December 21, drawing renewed criticism from both Denmark and Greenland over Washington’s interest in the mineral-rich Arctic island.

The U.S. president has long advocated for Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, to become part of the United States. Landry publicly supports this idea.

Greenland’s strategic location between Europe and North America makes it a key site for U.S. ballistic missile defense systems, while its mineral resources are attractive as the U.S. seeks to reduce reliance on Chinese exports.

A former Danish colony, Greenland has the right to declare independence under a 2009 agreement but remains heavily dependent on Danish subsidies. Denmark has worked over the past year to repair strained ties with Greenland while also attempting to ease tensions with the Trump administration through Arctic defense investments.

-Reporting by Louise Rasmussen, additional reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Gwladys Fouche, Cynthia Osterman, and Diane Craft/Reuters