Greenland’s government and prime minister issued separate statements on Monday pushing back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest comments about taking over the territory, which Trump has said will happen “one way or another.”
The Greenlandic government statement said it “cannot accept” the escalating U.S. rhetoric “in any way” and reaffirmed its position as both a part of Denmark and the NATO military alliance.
“As part of the Danish Commonwealth, Greenland is a member of NATO and the defence of Greenland must therefore be through NATO,” the government statement said.
“The government coalition in Greenland believes that Greenland will forever be part of the Western defence alliance.”
In a Facebook post, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen acknowledged the “international attention” on the territory’s future reflected its “strategic importance” for Arctic security.
Yet he underscored that discussions about strengthening Greenland’s defences must be held in “close cooperation” with all NATO allies, “including the United States and in cooperation with Denmark.”
“We are a democratic society that makes our own decisions,” Nielsen wrote. “And our actions are based on international law and common law.”
The prime minister added it is a “fundamental and firm line” that Greenland’s “security and defence belong within NATO.”
The statements came after Trump once again reiterated his argument that the U.S. needs to “take Greenland” while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
“One way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland,” Trump said, arguing a U.S. takeover would prevent Russia or China from doing the same thing.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said Trump has not set a timeline for acquiring Greenland but added it’s a “priority for him.”
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“Let’s not forget, it would not just be in the best interest of the United States, but perhaps it would be in the best interest of Greenland as well to be part of the United States and protected by the United States,” she told reporters.
There is already an American military presence in Greenland under a 1951 treaty that also allows the U.S. to expand its bases in the territory as it sees fit. U.S. military operations in Greenland are part of collective NATO defences in the Arctic.
Trump said Friday that the U.S. would acquire Greenland “whether they like it or not,” and that “if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way,” appearing to allude to potential military action.
Nielsen and Greenland’s party leaders responded with a joint statement saying the territory’s future must be decided by its people.
“We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders,” Friday’s statement said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand’s office said Saturday she had spoken to her Danish and Greenlandic counterparts “to reiterate Canada’s steadfast support for the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenland’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Anand is set to visit Greenland’s capital of Nuuk “in the coming weeks” to open Canada’s new consulate there, which is part of Ottawa’s new Arctic foreign policy.
Danish and Greenlandic envoys are expected in Washington this week for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and plans are also being put together for a bipartisan group of U.S. senators to visit Denmark.
Trump’s escalating rhetoric toward Greenland is testing the NATO alliance, which Danish and European officials as well as foreign policy experts have warned could be ruptured permanently by a U.S. takeover.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters in Croatia on Monday that alliance members were discussing the next steps to collectively keep the Arctic safe, but would not say if that would include a NATO mission to Greenland specifically.
“All allies agree on the importance of the Arctic and Arctic security,” Rutte said at a press conference.
Trump on Sunday dismissed questions on whether taking over Greenland would fracture NATO, framing himself as the one who “saved” the alliance by forcing allies to boost their defence spending.
“I like NATO,” he said.
He then questioned “whether or not, if we needed NATO, would they be there for us? I’m not sure they would.”
NATO’s Article 5 lays out the principle of common defence, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on them all. Article 5 has only been invoked once, in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States, leading to NATO’s operation in Afghanistan.
Trump acknowledged in an interview with the New York Times last week that “it may be a choice” for the U.S. to pursue taking over Greenland or preserving NATO.
In recent days, Trump has said Russian and Chinese naval destroyers and submarines are encroaching in the Arctic and threatening Greenland’s sovereignty.
Asked in Beijing Monday about Trump’s comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning replied that “China’s activities in the Arctic are aimed at promoting peace, stability, and sustainable development in the region and are in accordance with international law.” She didn’t elaborate on those activities.
“The rights and freedoms of all countries to conduct activities in the Arctic in accordance with the law should be fully respected,” Mao said, without mentioning Greenland directly. “The U.S. should not pursue its own interests by using other countries as a pretext.”
She said that “the Arctic concerns the overall interests of the international community.”
—With files from the Associated Press
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