Greenland blasts Trump’s threat to act “whether they like it or not”

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and four party leaders issued a statement on Friday night that condemned President Donald Trump’s ambitions for the Arctic island to become part of the United States. 

The statement followed Trump’s repeated threats to acquire the autonomous island, which is part of the kingdom of Denmark, and insists that Greenlanders “don’t want to be Americans.”

Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment on Saturday.  

Why It Matters

Trump reiterated his desire to acquire Greenland either through purchase or occupation during a meeting at the White House on Friday where he said the island was critical for U.S. security given the threats posed by Russia and China.

The cross-party statement by Greenland’s leaders the same day steps up the rhetoric against Trump’s ambitions and will heighten diplomatic tensions especially given that the president said the U.S. would “do something whether they like it or not.”

What To Know

During a White House meeting with oil and gas executives, Trump repeated his wish to acquire Greenland, saying that if the U.S. didn’t then Russia and China would. As such, Washington would be “doing something with Greenland, either the nice way or the more difficult way.” 

Political leaders in Greenland later issued a joint statement which stressed the desire of the island to have self-determination and that “no other country can interfere in this.” 

The statement said Greenland did not want to be either American or Danish “we want to be Greenlanders,” and as such, should decide its own future. The statement was signed by leaders Nielsen, Pele Broberg, Múte B. Egede, Aleqa Hammond and Aqqalu C. Jerimiassen. 

A survey conducted last year by pollster Veria found 85 percent of Greenlanders rejected being part of the U.S. while Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said a U.S. military invasion would spell the end of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which both countries are part of.

Rasmus Sinding Søndergaard, an analyst on ties between Denmark and the U.S., told Newsweek earlier this month that the aim for Greenland and Denmark would be to continue building European coalitions against Trump’s plan and appeal to those in the U.S. who value NATO. 

The goal would be to emphasize that the U.S can “address its security concerns through existing agreements, see if they are receptible to those messages, and if they can help apply some level of constraint on Donald Trump.” 

“That’s difficult because as we’ve seen with Venezuela, he acts pretty unconstrained,” added Søndergaard from the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). 

What People Are Saying

President Donald Trump said on Friday: “We’re not going to have Russia or China occupy Greenland. That’s what they’re going to do if we don’t. So, we’re going to be doing something with Greenland, either the nice way or the more difficult way.”

Greenland’s political leader in a joint statement: “As Greenlandic party leaders, we would like to emphasize once again our wish that the United States’ contempt for our country ends.”

It added: “We must decide the future of our country ourselves, without pressure for quick decision, delay or interference from other countries….We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danish, we want to be Greenlanders.”

What Happens Next 

Officials from Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. who met in Washington on Thursday will again meet next week to discuss Trump’s ambitions for the island, the Associated Press reported.