Denmark PM urges Trump to stop the ‘threats’ to take over Greenland
Denmark’s PM Mette Frederiksen says the US has ‘no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom’
The Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, has told US President Donald Trump to “stop the threats” of wanting to take over Greenland and make it a part of the United States (US).
Frederiksen said in a statement on Sunday (January 4), “The US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom,” and that “it makes absolutely no sense” to discuss the annexation of Greenland by the US.
Back off, US
Frederiksen clarified in her statement, posted on the Danish government website, that she was addressing the US "very directly". According to a BBC report, she said Denmark, "and thus Greenland", was a NATO member covered by the alliance's security guarantee.
Also read: Trump’s Venezuela gambit revives naked American imperialism
She said Denmark already has a defence agreement with the US, giving it access to Greenland, and that Denmark had upped its investment in security in the Arctic region.
"I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and other people who have very clearly said that they are not for sale," she said.
Ominous online post
These remarks follow America’s major military operation in Venezuela on Saturday (January 3), and the capture of its President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, transporting them to New York to face trial.
It did not help that Katie Miller, the wife of Trump’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, posted on Sunday (January 4) a contentious image of the Danish autonomous territory in the colours of the US flag in her X feed, with the caption “SOON.”
Also read: US will not get Greenland, asserts PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen
Reacting to this, Greenland’s prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called the post “disrespectful”. He said on X, “Relations between nations and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law – not on symbolic gestures that disregard our status and our rights.”
He also clarified that there was no reason for panic or concern as Greenland was “not for sale” and its future would not be decided by social media posts.
Trump’s Greenland obsession
Hours after Frederiksen’s statement, Trump reiterated his goal on Air Force One, “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”
Also read: Greenland's parliament approves a ban on foreign political donations as Trump seeks island
Trump’s obsession with Greenland is not new, as he has repeatedly raised the possibility of Greenland, which is a self-governing Danish territory and NATO member, to become part of the US.
Just last month, the Trump administration assigned pro-annexation Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy to Greenland, which incurred the anger of Denmark.
Watch: Why is Greenland so attractive to Donald Trump and America?
Trump has also refused to rule out using military force to secure control of Greenland, and claimed that it being a part of the United States would serve security interests owing to its strategic positioning between Europe and North America.
Also cited were the abundance of minerals critical to high-tech sectors that it holds, which the US hopes will reduce its reliance on Chinese exports.