Repeated threats by US to seize Greenland loom over Nielsen’s first visit to Denmark since taking office.
Greenland’s prime minister and his Danish counterpart have presented a united front, criticising United States President Donald Trump’s administration for a lack of respect in its designs to seize the Arctic island, a self-governed Danish territory.
“We will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by anyone, and that’s the message I think is most important to understand,” Jens-Frederik Nielsen told reporters on Sunday at a joint news conference in Copenhagen alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
Trump’s repeated threats to take over Greenland loomed large over Nielsen’s first visit to Denmark since taking office this month.
Nielsen’s visit follows one by Frederiksen to Greenland in early April when she told the US: “This is not only about Greenland or Denmark. This is about the world order that we have built together across the Atlantic over generations. You cannot annex another country, not even with an argument about security.”
Both Frederiksen and Nielsen, who leads Greenland’s new coalition government after his centre-right Democrats party won legislative elections in March, said they would be willing to meet the US leader for talks.
Tensions between the US and Denmark have soared after Trump repeatedly said he wanted to take control of resource-rich Greenland for security reasons, refusing to rule out the use of force to secure it.
“I think we need that for international peace, and if we don’t have that, it’s a big threat to our world. So I think Greenland is very important for international peace,” Trump told reporters on Thursday during a news conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
US has ‘not been respectful’
Nielsen also said on Sunday that Greenland was working on strengthening its relations with Denmark due to the US’s “disrespectful” rhetoric. “We are in a situation now where we need to stand together. The talk from the United States has not been respectful,” Nielsen said.
“I totally agree with that,” Frederiksen added.
Nielsen reiterated that Greenland was ready to deepen ties with the US.
“We are ready for a strong partnership, we are ready for more development, but we want respect,” he said. “You cannot have a partner where there is no mutual respect.”
US Vice President JD Vance paid a visit to Greenland in March, which officials both in Greenland and Denmark viewed as a provocation.
During his trip to the Pituffik US military base, Vance castigated Denmark for not having “done a good job by the people of Greenland”.
“You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass,” he said.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen responded on social media: “We are open to criticisms, but let me be completely honest, we do not appreciate the tone in which it’s being delivered.”
Nielsen himself has said: “The United States will not get Greenland.”
“We don’t belong to anyone else. We decide our own future,” he added in a Facebook post.
During his two-day visit to Copenhagen, Nielsen will also meet Denmark’s King Frederik and representatives of the Danish parliament.
In a separate statement, Denmark’s Royal House said the king would accompany Nielsen back to Greenland for a visit.
Polls show a vast majority of Greenland’s 57,000 people want to become independent from Denmark but do not wish to become part of the US.