Greenland Reiterates Preference for Denmark Ties ahead of U.S. Talks
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Copenhagen and Nuuk had requested the Washington meeting to address tensions through dialogue.
Jens Frederik Nielsen, leader of the Democrats, addresses the crowd as around 1,000 Greenlanders gather in the city center and march to the US consulate building located on the outskirts of the city to protesting US President Donald Trump's recent remarks on the sovereignty of their country, in Nuuk, Greenland on March 15, 2025. Photo by Anadolu Images.
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reenland’s prime minister said the semi-autonomous Arctic territory would choose to remain part of the Kingdom of Denmark over any closer alignment with the United States, as senior Danish and Greenlandic officials prepared for talks in Washington amid renewed U.S. interest in the island.
Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said Greenland faced a “geopolitical crisis” but stood firmly with Denmark, dismissing suggestions that the territory could become part of the United States.
“If we have to choose between the U.S. and Denmark here and now, then we choose Denmark,” Nielsen told reporters in Copenhagen, appearing alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. “Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States, and Greenland will not be governed from Washington.”
Greenlandic and Danish foreign ministers are due to meet U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday, after President Donald Trump revived his long-standing interest in acquiring Greenland, first raised during his initial term in 2019. Trump has cited the island’s strategic location and mineral resources as vital to U.S. national security, and his administration has discussed options ranging from closer security arrangements to economic incentives.
Public opinion wary of U.S. control
In Greenland’s capital Nuuk, residents voiced support for remaining within Denmark and under NATO’s security umbrella, with some calling for a pause in discussions about rapid independence.
“I can’t imagine living as an American,” said Charlotte Heilmann, a pensioner in Nuuk. “We are part of Denmark and NATO. I don’t understand why he keeps saying he wants to take our country.”
Others said U.S. pressure had fostered greater unity at home. “Last year some people talked about fast independence,” said Casper Frank Moller, a tour operator. “Now there’s more agreement that we need to stand together against possible annexation.”
Greenland has steadily expanded self-rule since 1979, but cabinet minister Naaja Nathanielsen said there was no urgency to accelerate independence. “For others this may be a piece of land, but for us it’s home,” she said, adding that Greenlanders see themselves as allies of the United States, not Americans.
Denmark seeks diplomacy
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Copenhagen and Nuuk had requested the Washington meeting to address tensions through dialogue. “Our aim is to move the discussion into a meeting room where we can look each other in the eye,” he said.
Frederiksen acknowledged the challenge of pushing back against Washington while maintaining close alliance ties. “It is hard to stand up to the U.S., our most important ally,” she said. “But the hardest part may still be ahead of us.”
Denmark has faced growing pressure to strengthen Arctic defenses as geopolitical competition in the region intensifies. Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen is scheduled to meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte next week, with multinational NATO exercises in Greenland planned by 2026.
Both Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly rejected any proposal to sell or cede the territory, insisting that Greenland’s future can only be decided by its people.
(Source: Reuters and Anadolu Agency)
