Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and four other party leaders issued a joint statement Friday night condemning President Donald Trump’s stated ambition for the Arctic island to become part of the United States.
Their statement came after Trump again raised the prospect of the U.S. acquiring Greenland—an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark—while stressing that Greenlanders “don’t want to be Americans.”
Why it matters
Trump renewed his push to acquire Greenland—by purchase or through occupation—during a White House meeting Friday, arguing the island is strategically vital to U.S. security amid threats from Russia and China.
By responding with a rare cross-party statement the same day, Greenland’s leadership sharpened its opposition and increased the chances of diplomatic fallout—especially after Trump said the U.S. would “do something whether they like it or not.”
What to know
At a White House meeting with oil and gas executives, Trump repeated his desire to acquire Greenland, saying that if Washington did not act, Russia and China would. He added that the U.S. would be “doing something with Greenland, either the nice way or the more difficult way.”
Greenland’s political leaders later issued a unified statement emphasizing the island’s right to self-determination, saying “no other country can interfere in this.”
They said Greenland does not want to be American or Danish—“we want to be Greenlanders”—and insisted the people of Greenland should decide their own future. The statement was signed by Nielsen, Pele Broberg, Múte B. Egede, Aleqa Hammond and Aqqalu C. Jerimiassen.
A survey conducted last year by pollster Veria found 85 percent of Greenlanders rejected becoming part of the U.S. Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has also warned that a U.S. military invasion would spell the end of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which both countries belong to.
Rasmus Sinding Søndergaard, an analyst specializing in Denmark–U.S. relations, previously said the strategy for Greenland and Denmark would likely be to strengthen European support against Trump’s plan and appeal to voices in the U.S. that prioritize NATO.
The message, he said, would be that the U.S. can “address its security concerns through existing agreements,” while seeking out U.S. officials who might help restrain Trump. But Søndergaard cautioned that “That’s difficult because as we’ve seen with Venezuela, he acts pretty unconstrained,” he added, speaking from the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS).
What people are saying
President Donald Trump said on Friday: “We’re not going to have Russia or China occupy Greenland. That’s what they’re going to do if we don’t. So, we’re going to be doing something with Greenland, either the nice way or the more difficult way.”
Greenland’s political leader in a joint statement: “As Greenlandic party leaders, we would like to emphasize once again our wish that the United States’ contempt for our country ends.”
It added: “We must decide the future of our country ourselves, without pressure for quick decision, delay or interference from other countries….We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danish, we want to be Greenlanders.”
What happens next
Officials from Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. who met in Washington on Thursday are expected to meet again next week to discuss Trump’s ambitions for the island, the Associated Press reported.
