By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen
COPENHAGEN, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Greenland’s leader declared “enough is enough,” and Denmark’s allies in Europe affirmed that the Arctic island’s future must be determined by its people, rebuffing renewed remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump about acquiring the vast territory.
Trump spoke a day after the U.S. special forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a stunning raid, with Trump stating that Washington intended to oversee governance of the oil-rich Latin American country. The U.S. operation rekindled concerns in Denmark that Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, might face a similar scenario.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants to take over Greenland, an ambition first voiced in 2019 during his first presidency. On Sunday, he told The Atlantic magazine in an interview: “We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence.”
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One early on Monday, Trump said he would revisit the topic in a few weeks.
“Threats, pressure, and talk of annexation have no place between friends,” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Facebook late on Sunday. “Enough is enough. (…) No more fantasies about annexation.”
On December 21, Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland. Landry has publicly expressed support for incorporating Greenland into the U.S.
Greenland’s strategic location between Europe and North America makes it a critical site in the U.S. ballistic missile defence system. The island’s significant mineral resources also align with Washington’s ambition to reduce dependence on Chinese exports.
Support for Denmark and Greenland came swiftly from Nordic and Baltic leaders following Trump’s latest remarks.
President Alexander Stubb of Finland posted on X late on Sunday: “No one decides for Greenland and Denmark but Greenland and Denmark themselves. Our Nordic friend Denmark and @Statsmin have our full support.”
France also expressed solidarity, saying Greenland belonged to the people of Greenland. President Emmanuel Macron said last June during a visit to Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, that the island was threatened by “predatory ambition”.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Sunday that U.S. comments about needing to take over Greenland made “absolutely no sense”.
(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; additional reporting by Anna Ringstrom in Stockholm and Nerijus Adomaitis in Oslo; editing by Mark Heinrich)
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