Outgoing Prime Minister Mute Egede says ‘disrespect’ for Greenland must stop as US president again says he wants Arctic island.
Greenland’s outgoing Prime Minister Mute Egede has called for a stronger rejection by local politicians of United States President Donald Trump’s promise to take over the strategically-located island, warning that “enough is enough”.
“This time we need to toughen our rejection of Trump. People cannot continue to disrespect us,” Egede wrote on Facebook after Trump reiterated on Thursday his desire to annex the autonomous Danish territory.
“The American president has once again evoked the idea of annexing us. I absolutely cannot accept that,” he wrote.
“I have therefore asked the administration to summon the party heads as soon as possible,” said Egede, who continues to lead Greenland while awaiting the formation of a new government following his party’s defeat in elections on Tuesday.
Speaking earlier at the White House alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump doubled down on his wish to annex Greenland – an island of 57,000 people – saying: “I think it will happen.”
“You know, Mark, we need that for international security, not just security – international – we have a lot of our favourite players cruising around the coast, and we have to be careful,” Trump told Rutte as they sat side-by-side in the White House Oval Office for talks.
Rutte responded by saying he would leave the question of Greenland’s future to others, adding, “I don’t want to drag NATO” into the debate. The NATO chief said it should be a topic for countries in the “high north” because the Chinese and Russians are using water routes in the Arctic region.
But Trump persisted, saying Denmark was refusing to discuss the topic of Greenland and that he might send more US troops to bolster the US military bases on the island.
In his first stint as US president from 2017-21, Trump raised the idea of buying Greenland – a semi-autonomous Danish territory – an idea flatly rejected by Denmark and Greenland.
“We’ve been dealing with Denmark, we’ve been dealing with Greenland, and we have to do it,” Trump continued.
“We really need it for national security. I think that’s why NATO might have to get involved in a way because we really need Greenland for national security. It’s very important,” Trump said.
Trump then moved on to undermine Denmark’s claim to the island. “You know, Denmark’s very far away, and really has nothing to do. What happens, a boat landed there 200 years ago or something? And they say they have rights to it. I don’t know if that’s true. I don’t think it is,” he said.
Rutte refused to comment on the issue when asked by a reporter in the White House. NATO and Denmark’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Danish politician Rasmus Jarlov took to social media after the Trump meeting with Rutte, saying that Denmark did “not appreciate” the head of NATO “joking with Trump about Greenland like this”.
“It would mean war between two NATO countries,” Jarlov said.
“Greenland has just voted against immediate independence from Denmark and does not want to be American ever,” he said.
We do not appreciate the Secr. Gen. of NATO joking with Trump about Greenland like this. It would mean war between two NATO countries. Greenland has just voted against immediate independence from Denmark and does not want to be American ever.pic.twitter.com/eh7enEHoA8
— Rasmus Jarlov (@RasmusJarlov) March 13, 2025
Since returning to office, Trump has made the annexation of Greenland a major talking point, and his comments on Thursday suggest he might want NATO involved in his attempt to take over the territory.
Greenland’s strategic location and rich mineral resources could benefit the US. It is located along the shortest route from Europe to North America and is vital for the US’s ballistic missile warning system.
According to polls, most Greenlanders support independence from Denmark and reject annexation by the US.