The Danish Prime Minister told the US during a visit to Greenland on Friday that “you cannot annex another country.” Mette Frederiksen, who met with the island’s new and outgoing prime ministers, assures that she wants to co-operate with Trump on security issues in the Arctic.
Old threats are back in vogue
Denmark’s prime minister showed unity with Greenland’s leaders during her first visit to the Arctic island since Donald Trump renewed his threats to acquire the territory, telling the US: “You can’t annex another country.”
Speaking aboard an inspection vessel in front of a military helicopter alongside Greenland’s new Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and outgoing Prime Minister Mute Egede, Mette Frederiksen switched from Danish to English to discuss the diplomatic standoff with the Trump administration.
“This is about the world order that we have built together across the Atlantic over generations,” she said. “You cannot annex another country – not even with an argument about international security.”
Her words came after a six-hour ride on the offshore patrol vessel HDMS Vædderen with the two Greenland leaders, during which they also viewed the area from above from a helicopter.
“If you want to strengthen security in the Arctic, as we would like, let’s do it together,” the Scandinavian woman appealed to the US.
Denmark and Greenland “want to co-operate with the United States,” the Danish woman said. “If you want to be more present in Greenland, Greenland and Denmark are ready. If you want to strengthen security in the Arctic, as we would like, let’s do it together.”
Accusing the US of putting Denmark and Greenland under “pressure and threats,” Frederiksen asked: “What should we believe about the country we have admired for many years?”
New Greenlandic prime minister Nielsen said: “Dialogue is of course the way forward, but it is also a great uncertainty that there is no dialogue now. That is why it is important to have dialogue that is based on respect.”
“We are not for sale”
Calling for unity, the Greenland Prime Minister said: “Because of what is happening outside the country, we have to be united. Also both within the kingdom and in our relations with our allies.”
Outgoing island premier Egede said Greenland would like to co-operate with the US on trade, but reiterated his previous comments, saying, “We are not for sale.”
Meanwhile in Brussels, the US State Department said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed the “strong relationship” between the US and Denmark during a meeting with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.
Rasmussen later said he “took this opportunity to state some things on behalf of the Danish kingdom.” He added: “More specifically, these repeated statements by the US president about a vision or aspiration to control Greenland are in no way justified. It has reached the point where it actually challenges our sovereignty as a kingdom.”
Unlike US Vice President J.D. Vance’s visit to Greenland last week, which, after diplomatic protests, was limited to a visit to the US military base Pituffik and did not include representatives from Greenland or Denmark, Frederiksen was met by Egede at the airport and travelled straight to the capital Nuuk, where she met the new island leader Nielsen.
Frederiksen’s visit initially drew criticism from members of the ruling coalition, as the island’s new government had not yet been formally approved. However, before his arrival, Nielsen said, “Denmark is our closest partner and it is natural that we meet as soon as possible.”
Greenland’s fight for independence
Frederiksen was last in Greenland in March 2024 during a joint visit with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
As a former Danish colony, Greenland remains within the Kingdom of Denmark, which continues to control the territory’s foreign and security policy.
Greenland’s long-standing independence movement has been gaining momentum in recent months – momentum that the Trump administration seems to be hoping to capitalise on – especially after allegations of mistreatment of Greenlanders by the Danish state.
But the threat of US intervention seems to have dampened Greenland’s appetite for a quick move towards independence. Last month’s general election led the most US and Trump-friendly party to quit coalition talks, before four other parties, led by Nielsen Democrats, signed a coalition agreement hours before Vance landed in Greenland last Friday. The first page of the agreement read, “Greenland belongs to us.”
Frederiksen’s visit comes amid reports from the US that the White House is preparing an estimate of what it would cost the government to control Greenland as a territory.
The White House budget office is assessing the costs of governing Greenland and is developing an estimate of how much revenue could be generated from its natural resources. Among the options being considered is to offer Greenland a higher subsidy than Denmark currently does.
