U.S. Claim Over Greenland Unacceptable: Danish Prime Minister
Copenhagen – Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has stated that the United States has no right to annex Greenland, urging Washington to stop issuing threats toward a close ally and the people of Greenland.
In a statement released on Sunday, Prime Minister Frederiksen said, “I want to make this extremely clear to the United States,” stressing that among the three constituent parts of the Kingdom of Denmark—Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands—the U.S. cannot lay claim to or take control of any territory. According to her, the notion that the United States needs to take control of Greenland is entirely unacceptable.
She noted that the Kingdom of Denmark, including Greenland, is a member of NATO and therefore falls under the framework of collective security guarantees. She also pointed out that the existing defense agreement between Denmark and the United States already provides Washington with sufficient access in Greenland.
Frederiksen remarked that it is inappropriate to threaten a historically close ally and another country—and its people—that has clearly stated it is “not for sale.”
The Danish prime minister’s response came after U.S. President Donald Trump said in a telephone interview with The Atlantic on Sunday that the United States “certainly” needs Greenland. In the same interview, Trump also discussed U.S. intervention in Venezuela.
Diplomatic tensions between Washington and the Kingdom of Denmark had intensified again last month after President Trump announced the appointment of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as the U.S. special envoy for Greenland.
Since beginning his second term in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to gain control over Greenland, at times suggesting that the use of “military or economic pressure” could not be ruled out.
A former Danish colony, Greenland became an integral part of the Kingdom of Denmark in 1953. The island gained self-rule in 1979 and exercises extensive internal autonomy, while authority over foreign policy and defense remains with Denmark.
