Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called U.S. President Donald Trump's new statements about the island "disrespectful," while Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen urged the U.S. to stop the threats, DW reports.
The heads of government of Denmark and Greenland criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's statements regarding the island, made during discussions about a U.S. military operation in Venezuela. The prime ministers issued statements on Sunday, January 4, condemning such remarks from an American ally as unacceptable.
"It is completely senseless to talk about the necessity of the United States seizing Greenland. The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three countries that make up the Kingdom of Denmark (Denmark, Greenland, Faroe Islands. - Ed.)," quoted Reuters, citing Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. As a result, the politician urged the U.S. to "stop threatening a historically close ally, as well as another country and another people." She reminded that Washington has already received a response from Greenland: the island is not for sale.
In a similar vein, Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen spoke out. "When the President of the United States says, 'We need Greenland,' and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it is not just wrong. It is disrespectful," Nielsen was quoted by Reuters.
Trump Described Greenland as 'Surrounded' by Ships from China and Russia
Frederiksen's and Nielsen's statements were a reaction to Trump's remarks made earlier the same day in a conversation with The Atlantic journalist Michael Sherer. The journalist discussed with the U.S. President a previously conducted military operation in Venezuela and the capture of local leader Nicolás Maduro. Against this backdrop, Trump stated that Venezuela might not be the last country for American intervention.
"We absolutely need Greenland," continued the head of the White House, adding that the island is "surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships." At the same time, the U.S. President stated that "others will have to decide what U.S. military actions in Venezuela mean for Greenland." According to Michael Sherer, this remark by Trump refers to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio - who the day before had called to "pay attention" to the situation with Greenland in light of the U.S. military operation in Venezuela and noted that Trump "solves the problems" he talks about.
"Yesterday Marco generously spoke well of me," Trump said. "You know, I didn't mean Greenland at that time. But we really need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense."
Trump's Advisor's Wife Posted a Map of Greenland in the Colors of the U.S. Flag
Not only Marco Rubio reminded of Trump's ambitions regarding Greenland. On January 4, the wife of Trump's Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Katie Miller, posted on social media X a post that showed a map of the island in the colors of the U.S. flag. The caption to the image read "Coming Soon."
This act did not go unnoticed in Copenhagen. "My country demands unconditional respect for the territorial integrity of Denmark," commented Miller's post Danish Ambassador to the U.S. Jesper Møller Sørensen. According to him, Denmark and the U.S. are "close allies and should continue to work together as such."
Greenland is an autonomous territory within Denmark, located in the Arctic. Since the beginning of his second presidential term, Donald Trump has repeatedly emphasized that he plans to annex Greenland to the U.S. for "national security reasons." At the end of 2025, the White House appointed a special envoy for Greenland, who promised to work on making the island part of the U.S. This decision was met with negative reactions in both Denmark and Greenland.
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