Denmark says Greenland could become independent but not a U.S. state

Greenland could gain independence if its inhabitants want it, but is unlikely to become a US state. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said this on Wednesday after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out the possibility of using force to take control of the Arctic island, reports UNN citing Reuters.

“We fully recognize that Greenland has ambitions of its own. If they materialize, Greenland will become independent, although hardly with ambitions to become a federal state in the United States,” said Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.

He told reporters that heightened U.S. security concerns in the Arctic were justified after increased Russian and Chinese activity in the region.

“I don't think we are in a foreign policy crisis,” he said. “We are open to a dialogue with the Americans about how we can cooperate even more closely than we do now to ensure that American ambitions are realized.

Yet while Denmark itself downplayed the seriousness of Trump's threat to its territory, the returning president's openly stated ambitions to expand U.S. borders shook up European allies less than two weeks before he took office.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Europe will not allow other countries to attack its sovereign borders, although he does not believe the U.S. will invade.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed surprise at Trump's comments about Greenland and Canada, emphasizing that European partners unanimously support the inviolability of borders.

Context

Greenland's leader met with the Danish king in Copenhagen on Wednesday, a day after Trump's remarks pushed the fate of the mineral-rich and strategically important Danish-ruled island to the top of global headlines.

Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, said Tuesday that he would not rule out using military or economic measures to annex Greenland to the United States. On the same day, Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr. made a private visit to Greenland.

Greenland, which is part of NATO through Denmark's membership, is of strategic importance to the U.S. military and its ballistic missile early warning system because the shortest route from Europe to North America passes through the Arctic island.

The president-elect has signaled that he will pursue a more hawkish foreign policy that ignores traditional diplomatic formalities.

Greenland, the world's largest island, has been part of Denmark for 600 years, although its 57,000 people now manage their internal affairs independently. The island's government, led by Prime Minister Muthe Egede, seeks future independence.