Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede rejected US President Donald Trump’s latest remarks about acquiring the Arctic territory, declaring on Wednesday that “Greenland is ours” and cannot be taken or bought.
Egede’s defiant statement came in response to Trump’s comments to Congress a day earlier, where he said that the United States would acquire Greenland “one way or another,” despite acknowledging Greenlanders’ right to self-determination.
“The people of Greenland are neither American nor Danish; we are Greenlandic,” Egede asserted in a Facebook post written in Greenlandic and Danish. “The future of Greenland will be decided by its people.”
Trump’s direct appeal to Greenlanders
Trump’s speech on Tuesday was seen as a direct bid to sway Greenlanders, who will head to the polls next week for parliamentary elections.
“We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America,” Trump said. “We will keep you safe. We will make you rich. And together, we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before.”
However, he also made it clear that his administration was actively working to bring Greenland under US control. “We need it really for international world security. And I think we’re going to get it. One way or the other, we’re going to get it,” he said.
Danish and Greenlandic leaders reject US bid
The comments have sparked backlash both in Greenland and Denmark, with many viewing them as a direct threat to the island’s sovereignty. Greenland, a vast and resource-rich territory, is a semiautonomous part of Denmark.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reaffirmed Greenland’s status, saying in an interview with TV2 that the island is not for sale. She emphasised that Denmark’s relationship with Greenland must be built on “equality and respect.”
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen also weighed in, saying he did not believe Greenlanders wanted to break away from Denmark only to become “an integrated part of America.” He noted that while Greenland is seeking a “more equal relationship” with Denmark, its people should have the freedom to decide their future without external interference.
