Greenland’s leaders have slammed Donald Trump’s vision to acquire the territory as ‘inappropriate’
Greenland has issued a sharp response to Donald Trump after the President hinted at plans to annex the territory while making an ’embarrassing’ claim about Denmark.
President Trump remains steadfast in his ambition to see both Canada and Greenland join the United States, despite neither country showing much enthusiasm for the idea.
During a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office on Thursday, March 13, Trump once again stirred attention when he reiterated his desire to annex Greenland, an island currently under the governance of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Trump expressed confidence, saying, “I think it’ll happen,” and even suggested that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte could play a key role in making it a reality.
He went on, “You know, Mark, we need [Greenland] for international security, not just security—international. That whole area is becoming very important, and for a lot of reasons. The routes are very direct to Asia, to Russia, and you have ships all over the place. We have to have protection, so we’re going to have to make a deal on that.”
Despite Rutte brushing off the suggestion with, “I don’t want to drag NATO into that,” Trump continued with an “absurd and embarrassing” blunder about Greenland’s historical roots and its status as the world’s largest island.
In a bold and controversial statement, Trump suggested that Denmark “really has nothing to do” with Greenland, despite the island being politically governed by the Kingdom of Denmark. “What, a boat landed there 200 years ago or something, and they say they have rights to it?” he remarked. “I don’t know if that’s true. I don’t think it is actually,” he concluded.
However, Greenland has been part of the Kingdom of Denmark since 1953, a fact that was swiftly pointed out by social media users who criticized the POTUS for his misunderstanding of the island’s historical ties.
Greenland’s leadership wasted no time in responding, and they are standing firm against any potential US plans to annex their homeland. Outgoing Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede took to Facebook to declare, “Enough is enough.” He announced plans to bring together leaders from across the political spectrum for a meeting to unite against Trump’s proposals.
Egede continued, “The American president has once again ventured the idea of annexing us. I can’t accept that. We need to tighten our rejection of Trump. Don’t keep treating us with disrespect.”
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland’s likely next prime minister, also condemned Trump’s statement as “inappropriate,” emphasizing that it highlighted the need for unity in such situations. He added, “[It] just shows once again that we must stand together in such situations.”
Ahead of Greenland’s upcoming election, all candidates have made it clear that they do not want the island to join the United States, as reported by NBC News.
Geographically, Greenland is closer to Canada than Europe and holds significant strategic value for the US, particularly due to its position in the North Atlantic, which is crucial for countering rivals like Russia and China.
The US already operates a military base on the island and has maintained a strong defense partnership with Denmark as a NATO ally. However, Greenland is home to around 56,000 people, many of whom are increasingly calling for full independence from Denmark.
