Greenland’s parties dismiss Trump’s US takeover threat
Greenland’s political leaders have collectively rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed effort to assert American control over the autonomous Danish territory.
The statement, released Friday evening, came after Trump told reporters the United States was prepared to “do something on Greenland whether they like it or not” and warned that the island risked falling under Russian or Chinese influence, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
“We do not wish to be Americans. We do not wish to be Danes. We wish to be Greenlanders,” the five party leaders wrote.
“The future of Greenland must be decided by the Greenlandic people.”
The declaration was signed by Jens Frederik Nielsen, Pele Broberg, Múte B. Egede, Aleqa Hammond, and Aqqalu C. Jeremiassen, who represent the five major parties in the Inatsisartut, Greenland’s parliament. The parties called for continued cooperation with international partners but insisted that no foreign power had the right to interfere in Greenland’s governance or territorial integrity.
The joint statement also urged diplomatic dialogue based on international law and reaffirmed Greenland’s commitment to self-rule under the 2009 Self-Government Act.
The comments followed a week of intensified rhetoric from Trump, who claimed Greenland’s strategic value made it a national security priority. Speaking at a White House meeting with oil and gas executives, Trump said the US would act “the easy way or the hard way,” referring to Greenland’s future. He said ownership of the territory was required to prevent Russian or Chinese presence in the Arctic.
“If we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland,” Trump said. “We’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbour.”
Greenland, home to around 57,000 people, has been governed autonomously since 1979, though foreign policy and defence remain under Danish control. The US maintains a military presence at Pituffik Space Base under a 1951 defence agreement with Denmark.
According to a 2025 poll conducted by Verian, 85 percent of Greenlanders oppose any transfer of sovereignty to the United States. Only 7 percent of Americans support a military takeover of Greenland, according to a YouGov research.
In 2019, during his first term, Trump publicly proposed purchasing the island from Denmark. The idea was rejected by both the Danish and Greenlandic governments. He revived the idea in recent weeks following the US military’s operation and capture of President Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, raising concerns among NATO allies over potential parallels in Greenland.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that any use of force in Greenland would end NATO and the post-war security structure in Europe. “This would mean the end of everything,” she said last week.
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