Premier of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, has unequivocally rejected US President Donald Trump’s renewed push to annex the territory, declaring that his people would choose Denmark over the United States if forced to make a decision “here and now.” The remark, made during a joint news conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Copenhagen, serves as the strongest rebuke yet from the semi-autonomous territory against US pressure.
Okay News reports that the statement comes amidst a deepening geopolitical crisis triggered by President Trump’s assertion that the US needs to “own” Greenland to bolster defenses against Russia and China. The White House has suggested purchasing the island and has not ruled out the use of military force to secure it—a threat that Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen warned would spell the end of the NATO alliance.
One thing must be clear to everyone. Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed by the United States,” Nielsen asserted. “If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark.
The tension is heightened by recent US military actions, specifically the use of force in Venezuela on Saturday to seize President Nicolás Maduro, which has fueled fears regarding American intentions in the Arctic. While the US already maintains over 100 military personnel at the Pituffik base in Greenland under existing treaties, Trump has dismissed these lease agreements as insufficient, insisting on full ownership.
Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen condemned the “completely unacceptable pressure” from their closest ally, noting that the most challenging days may still lie ahead. The confrontation sets a tense stage for an upcoming diplomatic mission, where the Danish and Greenlandic Foreign Ministers are scheduled to travel to the US to meet with Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
