By Janet Ekstract, NEW YORK – Officials in Denmark and Greenland pushed back against remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump that America needs to control Greenland. As Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told the U.S. president in a press conference: “You can’t annex other countries.” On an official visit to Greenland, Frederiksen reiterated that Denmark will not give up Greenland and in a show of support – Prime Minister of Greenland Jens-Frederik Nielsen and previous prime minister Mute Egede stood firm on those remarks. The Danish prime minister made a three-day trip to Greenland after last week’s visit by a U.S. delegation headed up by U.S. Vice President JD Vance that was met with widespread criticism in Denmark and Greenland. Vance’s attempt to explain how advantageous Trump’s proposal would be for Greenland while criticizing Denmark for “failing” to meet Greenland’s security needs, did not sit well with Greenlanders or the Danish. Meanwhile, after the visit, at a summit in Brussels on April 3-4, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio who met Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said that the U.S. “reaffirmed the strong relationship” between the two nations, in a statement put out by the U.S. State Department.
Despite Rubio’s reassurance, Frederiksen explained: “It is clear that with the pressure put on Greenland by the Americans, in terms of sovereignty, borders and the future, we need to stay united.” The Danish prime minister told the press last week that Denmark is strengthening its military presence in the Artic and said her country is willing to have closer collaboration with the U.S. to defend the region. Trump has underscored the threats from China and Russia in the Artic region since he reiterated they are vying for control of that territory, Both Rubio and Rasmussen agreed on Greenland’s right to self-determination with Rasmussen clearly pushing back on remarks Trump made about “claims on Greenland.” Frederiksen cautioned: “When you demand to take over a part of…Denmark’s territory, when we are met by pressure and by threats from our closest ally, what are we to believe in about the country that we have admired for so many years.?”
Greenland’s previous prime minister Egede reminded everyone that Greenland cooperated on security with the U.S. for close to 80 years which included the construction of the Pituffik Space Base after an agreement signed in 1951 between Denmark and the United States. Egede reiterated that Greenland was not for sale but is open to trade with the U.S. according to an article in Greenland’s national newspaper Sermitsiaq. Greenland is the world’s largest island situated between the Artic and the Atlantic Ocean, controlled by Denmark for about 300 years and handles its own governing with decisions on foreign and defense policy made in Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital. In March, a new Greenland coalition government headed by the center-right Democrats party leans toward a gradual independence from Denmark. Five of Greenland’s six major parties favor independence from Denmark but don’t agree on how soon that could happen. Polls in Greenland favor independence from Denmark without U.S. control. An expert on Greenland and Denmark’s previous High Commissioner to Greenland Mikaela Engell told AFP news agency: “It’s very, very important and it’s very reassuring for Greenlanders to see a Danish head of government.” Trump first introduced the idea to buy Greenland during his first presidential term and has repeatedly said that America can provide the country with betters security to protect it from threats by Russia and China.Trump first floated the idea of buying Greenland during
