Outgoing Prime Minister Mute Egede says ‘disrespect’ for Greenland must stop as US president again expresses desire for 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 repeated pledge to take over the strategically-located island, stating 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 his desire to annex the autonomous Danish territory on Thursday.
“The American president has once again evoked the idea of annexing us. I absolutely cannot accept that,” he added.
Egede, who continues to lead Greenland while awaiting the formation of a new government following his party’s defeat in Tuesday’s elections, said he has asked the administration to summon party leaders as soon as possible.
Speaking earlier at the White House alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump doubled down on his wish to annex Greenland, an island with a population of 57,000, 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 noted that it should be a topic for countries in the “high north,” as the Chinese and Russians are increasingly using Arctic water routes.
However, Trump persisted, stating that Denmark has refused to discuss the topic of Greenland and that he might send more US troops to bolster the US military bases on the island.
During his first presidency from 2017 to 2021, Trump floated the idea of buying Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, which was flatly rejected by both 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 then questioned Denmark’s claim to the island, saying, “You know, Denmark’s very far away, and really has nothing to do. What happened, 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.”
Rutte declined to comment on the issue when asked by a reporter at the White House. NATO and Denmark’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Danish politician Rasmus Jarlov took to social media after the meeting, stating that Denmark did “not appreciate” the NATO chief “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.”
Since returning to office, Trump has made the annexation of Greenland a major talking point, and his comments on Thursday suggest he may seek NATO involvement in his attempt to take over the territory.
Greenland’s strategic location and rich mineral resources could benefit the US. It lies along the shortest route from Europe to North America and is crucial for the US’s ballistic missile warning system.
According to polls, most Greenlanders support independence from Denmark but reject annexation by the US.
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