Denmark will not cede Greenland to the United States, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated during her official visit to the Arctic island.
In response to repeated threats from former President Donald Trump, Frederiksen offered to enhance security collaboration but firmly told the US president, “You cannot annex other countries.”
Frederiksen was joined by Greenland’s current Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and his predecessor Mute Egede, as they presented a united front against US pressure on Thursday.
Her three-day visit follows a controversial trip last week by a US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance, which sparked widespread criticism in both Greenland and Denmark.
During his visit, Vance reiterated Trump’s goal of bringing Greenland under US control for security purposes, while also criticizing Denmark for not investing enough in the region’s defense. He claimed Denmark had “failed to do a good job” in supporting Greenlanders.
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen in Brussels, where they reaffirmed the strong relationship between the US and Denmark, according to a US State Department statement. Rasmussen emphasized that Greenland’s right to self-determination was acknowledged, but Denmark would oppose “any claims on Greenland.”
Upon arriving in Greenland on Wednesday, Frederiksen stated, “Given the pressure on Greenland from the Americans regarding sovereignty, borders, and the future, we must remain united.”
She further stated on Thursday that Denmark was strengthening its military presence in the Arctic and offered greater cooperation with the United States on regional defense. However, she added, “When you demand to take over part of Denmark’s territory, and face pressure and threats from our closest ally, what are we to believe about the country we’ve admired for so long?”
Frederiksen toured the capital Nuuk aboard a Danish navy patrol boat, accompanied by Egede and Nielsen. According to Danish broadcaster DR, many locals cheered her arrival, with one resident shouting from a window, “Hey Mette! Thanks for being here.”
Egede, who served as Greenland’s prime minister for nearly four years, highlighted the island’s long-standing cooperation with the US on security, including the 1951 agreement that led to the construction of the Pituffik Space Base.
He emphasized that Greenland was “not for sale,” but expressed interest in continuing trade with the US, according to Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq.
Trump first proposed purchasing Greenland during his first term, and his desire to acquire the island has only intensified over time.
Mikaela Engell, an Arctic expert and former Danish High Commissioner to Greenland, told AFP that it was “extremely important and reassuring for Greenlanders to see a Danish head of government” take a stand.
Greenland, the world’s largest island located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, has been under Danish control for nearly 300 years. While Greenland governs its internal affairs, foreign and defense policy decisions are made in Copenhagen.
Though most major political parties in Greenland favor independence, they disagree on the pace at which it should be achieved. A new coalition government, formed in March and led by the center-right Democrats party, supports a gradual approach to independence.
Polls indicate that a large majority of Greenlanders support independence from Denmark, but they do not want to become part of the United States.
Since 2009, Greenland has had the legal right to hold an independence referendum, and in recent years, political parties have increasingly pushed for this option.
