Greenland, Denmark urge quick talks with US after renewed claims on island

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has called for renewed talks with the US after President Donald Trump repeated that he wanted to annex the mineral-rich Arctic territory. Photo / Frederick Florin and Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, AFP

Greenland and Denmark have called for a speedy meeting with Washington’s top diplomat after President Donald Trump’s renewed claims on the self-governing Danish territory.

The US military intervention in Venezuela has reignited Trump’s long-standing designs on the autonomous Danish territory in the Arctic, which has untapped rare earth deposits and could be a vital player as melting polar ice opens up new shipping routes.

Denmark and Greenland have asked to meet US Secretary of State quickly to “discuss the significant statement made by the United States about Greenland”, Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt wrote on social media.

“It has so far not been possible for US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to meet with the Greenlandic government, despite the fact that the Greenlandic and Danish governments have requested a meeting at the ministerial level throughout 2025,” she added.

Earlier, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen again insisted that the island was not for sale and only Greenlanders should decide its future.

His comments came after Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain joined Denmark in saying that they would defend the “universal principles” of “sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders”.

“This support is important at a time when fundamental international principles are being challenged,” Nielsen wrote on social media. “For this support, I wish to express my deepest gratitude.

“At a time when the President of the United States has once again stated that the United States is very serious about Greenland, this support from our allies in Nato is both important and unequivocal.”

Washington already has a military base in Greenland, which is home to some 57,000 people.

Trump hinted on Sunday that a decision on Greenland may come “in about two months”, once the situation in Venezuela is less pressing.

Broken record

The European leaders’ joint statement called Arctic security “a key priority” for the continent and “critical” for international and transatlantic security.

Denmark, including Greenland, was part of Nato, it added, urging a collective approach alongside the United States to security in the polar region.

The statement was signed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

“Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” the statement said.

Nielsen repeated his call to the United States for a “respectful dialogue through the appropriate diplomatic and political channels, and through the use of existing forums based on agreements that already exist with the United States”.

“Such dialogue must take place with respect for the fact that Greenland’s status is grounded in international law and the principle of territorial integrity.”

Marc Jacobsen, a specialist in security, politics and diplomacy in the Arctic at the Royal Danish Defence College, said Trump’s rhetoric on Greenland had not changed since he first floated the idea of annexation.

“It’s like a broken record ... you would think he [Trump] doesn’t really understand what Denmark and Greenland are saying,” he told AFP.

While Trump has claimed that Denmark cannot ensure the security of Greenland, Copenhagen has invested heavily in the sector, allocating some 90 billion kroner ($24 billion) in the last year.

-Agence France-Presse