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'If we have to choose, we choose Denmark,': Greenland PM says amid rising US pressure
Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers are set to meet US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday.
Greenland’s prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on Tuesday said the island would prefer to remain part of Denmark rather than become a US territory.
Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers are set to meet US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday, after Trump intensified rhetoric about taking over Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
Greenland is not for sale and has no desire to join the United States, Prime Minister Nielsen said at a joint press conference in Copenhagen with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
"We face a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the US and Denmark here and now then we choose Denmark," Nielsen said. "We stand united in the Kingdom of Denmark."
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‘Feel betrayed and confused': Minister
People in Greenland do not want to become Americans and feel betrayed and confused by how their homeland is being discussed, cabinet minister Naaja Nathanielsen said in London.
"I think we should be able to have a say ourselves in the future of our lives. For others, this might be a piece of land, but for us, it's home," said Nathanielsen, who oversees business, energy and minerals.
Although Denmark has ruled Greenland for centuries, the island has steadily moved toward greater self-rule since 1979, with independence remaining a long-term goal across the political spectrum. However, Nathanielsen said there was no urgency to declare independence.
‘American ally not Americans’
"We are an American ally, but we do not see ourselves as becoming Americans. We are quite happy with being part of the Kingdom of Denmark," she said.
Trump has argued that Greenland is critical to U.S. security interests and that Washington must control it to prevent Russia or China from gaining influence over the strategically located, mineral-rich territory.
White House officials have explored different options to bring Greenland under U.S control, including possible military involvement and financial incentives for Greenlanders to support secession from Denmark.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt sought a meeting with Rubio following Trump’s comments.
"U.S. Vice President JD Vance also wanted to participate in the meeting, and he will host the meeting, which will therefore be held at the White House," Rasmussen said in Copenhagen.
"Our reason for seeking the meeting we have now been given was to move this whole discussion... into a meeting room where we can look each other in the eye and talk about these things."
Frederiksen said Denmark was facing a difficult moment in standing up to its closest ally and fellow NATO member.
"But much suggests that the hardest part is now ahead of us," she said.
