Greenland's PM Prioritizes Denmark Over US: A Bold Statement Before White House Discussions

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Greenland would choose to remain Danish over a United States takeover, its leader said on Tuesday, ahead of crunch White House talks on the future of the Arctic island — which US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened.

Trump has been talking up the idea of buying or annexing the autonomous territory for years, and further stoked tensions this week by saying the US would take it “one way or the other”.

“We are now facing a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark,” Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said at a press conference.

Greenland’s stance on sovereignty is unequivocal: it has no intention of becoming a possession or being governed by the United States. The firm declaration underscores the importance of maintaining Greenland’s autonomy amid international interests.

He was speaking alongside Danish leader Mette Frederiksen, who said it had not been easy to stand up to what she slammed as “completely unacceptable pressure from our closest ally”.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has acknowledged the complexities ahead, highlighting that the challenges facing Greenland are far from over. Her remarks come at a time when tensions between Denmark and the United States have surfaced, despite Denmark’s longstanding support of transatlantic relations, including its military contributions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt are to meet with US vice president JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio on Wednesday to discuss Greenland’s future.

Lokke said they had requested a meeting with Rubio, and Vance had asked to take part and host it at the White House.

Strategically positioned, Greenland holds significant geopolitical value. It sits on the shortest missile trajectory between Russia and the United States, making it a vital component of the U.S. missile defense system.

Frederiksen has also advocated for NATO’s role in safeguarding Greenland, emphasizing that security assurances from the alliance would serve as the strongest deterrent against potential threats from China or Russia in the Arctic region.

For Nuuk and Copenhagen, Wednesday’s meeting at the White House is aimed at ironing out “misunderstandings”.

These relate to Greenland’s defence, Chinese and Russian military presence in the Arctic, and the relationship between Greenland and Copenhagen, which — together with the Faroe Islands — make up the Kingdom of Denmark.

“To the uninformed American listener, the ongoing (independence) talks between Denmark and Greenland might have been construed as if Greenland’s secession from Denmark was imminent,” said Greenland specialist Mikaela Engell.

For these listeners, “I can understand that, in this situation, it would be better for the Americans to take hold of that strategic place,” the former Danish representative told Agence France-Presse.

But this “discussion has been going on for years and years and it has never meant that Greenland was on its way out the door,” she stressed.

Denmark’s foreign minister said the reason Copenhagen and Nuuk had requested Wednesday’s meeting was “to move the entire discussion … into a meeting room, where you can look each other in the eye and talk through these issues”.

Greenland’s location is highly strategic, lying on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the US. It is therefore a crucial part of the US anti-missile shield.

Washington has accused Copenhagen of doing little to protect Greenland from what it perceives as a growing Arctic threat from Russia and China, though analysts suggest Beijing is a small player in the region.

Denmark’s government has rejected US claims, recalling that it has invested almost 90 billion kroner ($21 billion) to beef up its military presence in the Arctic.

The Danish prime minister on Tuesday called for stronger cooperation with the US and NATO to improve the region’s security.

She also called for NATO to defend Greenland, and said that security guarantees would be “the best defence against Chinese or Russian threats in the Arctic”.

Diplomats at NATO say some alliance members have floated the idea of launching a new mission in the region, although no concrete proposals are yet on the table.

Rutte said on Monday that NATO was working on “the next steps” to bolster Arctic security.

Greenland’s foreign minister and Danish defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen are to meet NATO’s secretary general Mark Rutte on 19 January to discuss the issue.

“We are now moving forward with the whole issue of a more permanent, larger presence in Greenland from the Danish defence forces but also with the participation of other countries,” Lund Poulsen told reporters.