PMs of Greenland, Denmark tell Trump to stop US takeover threats

Leaders of Greenland and Denmark have called on US President Donald Trump to stop threatening to take control of the resource-rich autonomous territory, which is part of the Danish Kingdom, UNN reports with reference to Axios.

Details

The calls came after Trump renewed his push for control of Greenland during a Sunday interview with The Atlantic about the US raid and subsequent capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in Caracas.

"We need Greenland, certainly," Trump told The Atlantic. "We need it for defense."

Trump said the US "needs Greenland for defense"04.01.26, 21:24 • 5438 views

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen wrote on Facebook: "There is absolutely no point in talking about the US taking control of Greenland. The US has no right to annex any of the three countries of the Danish Kingdom."

Frederiksen noted that Denmark is a NATO ally and that Greenland, as part of the kingdom, falls under the alliance's security guarantees.

"Therefore, I would strongly urge the United States to stop threatening a historically close ally and another country and another people who have made it very clear that they are not for sale," she said.

Denmark calls Trump's new statements on Greenland "absolutely absurd"04.01.26, 22:29 • 7266 views

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen wrote on Facebook: "When the President of the United States talks about 'we need Greenland' and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it's not just wrong. It's so disrespectful."

Trump, the publication writes, intensified his comments on Greenland while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, claiming that "the EU needs us" to have Greenland.

"We need Greenland... It's so strategically important," he said. "Now Greenland is covered everywhere with Russian and Chinese ships," Trump added.

"We need Greenland from a national security perspective, and Denmark won't be able to do it," he pointed out.

At the same time, Trump said: "We'll worry about Greenland in about two months, let's talk about Greenland in 20 days."

Addition

The publication notes that right-wing podcaster Katie Miller, a former aide in the Trump administration who is married to President Trump's chief political advisor Stephen Miller, wrote "SOON" on X and shared a map of Greenland colored in the US flag after the raid.

Trump's desire for the US to control Greenland is largely based on a desire to exploit the vast mineral wealth of the Arctic territory, notes Dave Lawler of Axios.

With the rapid warming of the Arctic climate, China and Russia are advancing into the region, viewing the northern areas as a resource-rich crossroads, and melting ice is opening up new tourist and trade routes, as well as opportunities for military basing, reports Colin Demarest of Axios.