Greenland remains at the heart of a geopolitical dispute after US President Donald Trump announced that he plans to “do something” with the island. Amid speculations of a possible acquisition, the residents of Nuuk, Greenland's capital, have made it clear that the island is not for sale, AP reported.
US Vice President JD Vance will meet with Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenlandic representative Vivian Motzfeldt in Washington on Wednesday to discuss the Arctic island, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, a NATO ally of Denmark.
Tuuta Mikaelsen, a 22-year-old student in Nuuk, expressed to the news portal her hope that American officials would understand the message to “back off."
In a news conference in the Danish capital Copenhagen on Tuesday, Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen was quoted by the news portal as saying, "if we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We chose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU.”
Responding to Nielsen's comments, Trump said,“I disagree with him. I don't know who he is. I don't know anything about him. But that's going to be a big problem for him.”
Trump also stated that he wants the island to enhance America's security and pointed to the perceived threat from Russian and Chinese ships as a justification for asserting control.
However, experts and Greenlanders question that claim.
“The only Chinese I see is when I go to the fast food market,” Lars Vintner, a heating engineer, told AP. He said he often goes sailing and hunting and has never seen Russian or Chinese ships.
His friend, Hans Norgaard, added, “What has come out of the mouth of Donald Trump about all these ships is just fantasy.”
Denmark has said that the US, which already maintains a military presence, can expand its bases in Greenland. For that reason, “security is just a cover,” Vintner said, indicating that Trump actually seeks to control the island to profit from its untapped natural resources.
Norgaard told the news portal he lodged a police complaint in Nuuk against Trump's “aggressive” behaviour because, he said, American officials are threatening the people of Greenland and NATO. He suggested Trump was using the ships as a pretext to further American expansion.
“Donald Trump would like to have Greenland, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin would like Ukraine, and (Chinese President) Xi Jinping would like to have Taiwan,” Norgaard was quoted as saying.
Mikaelsen, the student, said that Greenlanders benefit from being part of Denmark, which offers free healthcare, education, and payments during their studies.
“I don't want the US to take that away from us,” she was quoted as saying.
Before Wednesday's meeting, Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland's Minister for Business and Mineral Resources, said it's “unfathomable” that the United States is discussing taking over a NATO ally and urged the Trump administration to listen to the voices of the people from the Arctic island.
Two lawmakers, such as Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, have introduced bipartisan legislation. This bill prohibits the use of funds from the US Defense and State Departments for annexing or seizing Greenland or any NATO sovereign territory without the consent of the relevant ally or approval from the North Atlantic Council.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is also travelling to Copenhagen later this week to meet with officials from Denmark and Greenland.
Denmark's major European allies joined Frederiksen and issued a statement last week stating that Greenland belongs to its people and that “it is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”
On Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot was quoted in the report saying France intends to open a consulate in Greenland on February 6. He explained that the decision was made during President Emmanuel Macron's visit last summer.
Curated by Shiv Shakti Mishra
