Greenland’s government has condemned the Trump administration’s push to acquire the Arctic island, calling the idea “unfathomable” and urging Washington to listen to Greenlanders themselves.
At a Glance
- Greenland’s resource minister says residents are “very, very worried” about U.S. takeover rhetoric.
- A White House meeting Wednesday will bring together U.S., Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers.
- Denmark recently aided U.S. forces intercepting a sanctions-hit oil tanker in the Atlantic.
- Why it matters: The dispute strains NATO ties and raises fears of forced annexation.
Naaja Nathanielsen, minister for business and mineral resources, told British lawmakers Monday that talk of American control has left children frightened and adults sleepless. “People are not sleeping, children are afraid, and it just fills everything these days,” she said.
Her comments come hours before Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio host Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt at the White House. The session, confirmed by three sources, will focus on President Donald Trump’s repeated statements that the U.S. should own Greenland.
Trump, speaking Sunday on Air Force One, said he would prefer to “make a deal” but added, “one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland.” He argues that without U.S. control, Russia or China could seize the strategic territory.
Greenland’s leaders reject the premise. Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, appearing Tuesday alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Copenhagen, reiterated: “Greenland isn’t for sale.” Nielsen stressed Greenlanders do not want to be “owned or ruled” by Washington.
Frederiksen pledged fresh Danish investment in Arctic security and admitted resisting “unacceptable pressure” from a close ally. “There are many indications that the most difficult part lies ahead,” she said.
Nathanielsen emphasized decades of willing cooperation with the U.S. military, yet said the current tone feels like betrayal. “We have no intentions of becoming American … but we have worked towards more collaboration with the Americans for many, many years,” she stated. “We feel betrayed. We feel the rhetoric is offensive, but also bewildering.”
While Greenlanders accept the island sits within America’s security sphere, Nathanielsen insisted change can come “without the use of force.” She added: “It is just unfathomable to understand that we could be sold or annexed.”
The dispute escalated as Denmark quietly assisted U.S. forces tracking an oil tanker suspected of violating U.S. sanctions on Venezuela. A Danish official, unauthorized to speak publicly, confirmed Copenhagen provided support during the Atlantic interception but declined to detail the operation. The pursuit began weeks earlier in the Caribbean where the U.S. has blockaded Venezuelan waters. Newsmax first reported Denmark’s involvement.
The White House and Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment on the tanker operation or on Trump’s Greenland remarks.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte sidestepped the feud Tuesday at the European Parliament, saying internal alliance disputes are outside his remit. He emphasized NATO’s priority is securing the High North, including Greenland, without specifying how.
A bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation will travel to Copenhagen Friday and Saturday to demonstrate trans-Atlantic unity. Nathanielsen welcomed the dialogue but insisted Greenlanders must decide their future. “My deepest dream or hope is that the people of Greenland will get a say no matter what,” she said. “For others this might be a piece of land, but for us it’s home.”
