Greenland’s political leaders have delivered an unusually united and forceful rebuke to former US president Donald Trump after he warned that the United States would “do something whether they like it or not” to acquire the Arctic island, citing national security concerns. In a joint statement issued late Friday, leaders from across Greenland’s political spectrum said the island’s future must be decided by Greenlanders alone, rejecting pressure from Washington and reaffirming their desire for self-determination.
“We don’t want to be Americans. We don’t want to be Danish. We want to be Greenlanders,” the statement said, capturing a rare moment of consensus in the self-governing Danish territory. “The future of Greenland must be decided by Greenlanders.”
The declaration was signed by the leaders of five parties represented in Greenland’s parliament, the Inatsisartut, including Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, former prime minister Múte B Egede, and senior political figures Pele Broberg, Aleqa Hammond and Aqqalu C Jerimiassen. Together, they stressed that no foreign power had the right to interfere in decisions about Greenland’s sovereignty or political trajectory.
“No other country can meddle in this,” the statement said. “We must decide our country’s future ourselves – without pressure to make a hasty decision, without procrastination, and without interference from other countries.”
The sharp response followed remarks by Trump earlier on Friday during a meeting with oil and gas executives at the White House, where he again described Greenland as vital to US national security. The former president said Washington could not allow rival powers to gain influence over the strategically located island.
“We’re not going to have Russia or China occupy Greenland,” Trump told reporters. “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.”
The White House confirmed earlier this week that Trump is “actively” discussing the possibility of making a renewed offer to acquire Greenland with his national security team, reviving an idea he first floated in 2019. That proposal was swiftly rejected by both Greenlandic and Danish authorities at the time, who insisted the territory was not for sale.
Trump’s renewed rhetoric has triggered alarm not only in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, but also in Copenhagen and across Europe, where officials fear the comments could destabilise relations within Nato and undermine post-war security arrangements.
Public opinion in Greenland remains firmly opposed to joining the United States. According to a 2025 poll, 85% of Greenlanders reject the idea of becoming part of the US, despite the island’s heavy economic reliance on Denmark and growing debates about eventual independence.
While there is broad support within Greenland for increased autonomy and long-term independence from Denmark, political leaders have consistently emphasised that such a process must be gradual and driven internally, not imposed or accelerated by foreign pressure.
Greenland is a former Danish colony and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark, though it gained home rule in 1979 and expanded self-government in 2009. Denmark still controls foreign policy, defence and monetary affairs, while Greenland manages most domestic matters.
The leaders’ joint statement underscored that independence debates must not be hijacked by external actors. “Self-determination is not a bargaining chip,” one Greenlandic official said privately. “It is a right.”
Trump’s Greenland ambitions also lack strong backing at home. Polling shows that only 7% of Americans support the idea of a US military invasion of the territory, while a broader majority questions the practicality and legality of acquiring land inhabited by an unwilling population.
Nevertheless, Trump has framed the issue as a strategic necessity, pointing to Greenland’s location between North America and Europe and its proximity to Arctic shipping lanes that are becoming increasingly navigable due to climate change.
Greenland is also believed to hold vast reserves of rare-earth minerals essential for advanced technologies, as well as potentially significant oil and gas resources. These assets have heightened interest from global powers as competition intensifies in the Arctic.
Denmark warns of Nato fallout
Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, has issued one of the strongest warnings yet in response to Trump’s comments, saying that any attempt by the US to annex Greenland would have devastating consequences for the transatlantic alliance.
She recently said such a move would mark “the end of Nato and therefore post second world war security,” calling on Trump to stop threatening the sovereignty of the Danish kingdom, which includes Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
“The United States has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish kingdom,” Frederiksen said, adding that Denmark remains committed to strengthening Arctic security through cooperation, not coercion.
Trump dismissed such concerns on Friday, claiming that Nato’s survival depended largely on him. “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have a Nato right now,” he said.
When asked previously whether preserving Nato or acquiring Greenland was the higher priority, Trump told the New York Times: “It may be a choice.”
The head of Nato’s forces in Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich, declined to speculate on whether the alliance could survive without US leadership but sought to calm fears of an imminent crisis.
“There’s been no impact on my work at the military level up to this point,” Grynkewich said on Friday. “We’re ready to defend every inch of alliance territory still today.”
He added: “So I see us as far from being in a crisis right now.”
Nato officials privately acknowledge, however, that Trump’s remarks have unsettled allies, particularly Denmark, which has long relied on close defence cooperation with the US in the Arctic.
The United States has maintained a military presence in Greenland since the second world war, most notably at Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, on the island’s northwestern coast. The base plays a key role in missile warning, space surveillance and Arctic operations, with more than 100 US personnel permanently stationed there.
Existing defence agreements with Denmark allow the US to increase troop levels and military activity on the island if needed. But Trump has argued that such arrangements are insufficient.
“Countries have to have ownership and you defend ownership, you don’t defend leases,” he said. “And we’ll have to defend Greenland.”
Trump has repeatedly claimed that Greenland is already under threat from Russian and Chinese encroachment, alleging that their ships are “all over the place” in surrounding waters. Greenlandic officials and civil society leaders strongly dispute those assertions.
In an interview with the Guardian on Friday, Jess Berthelsen, chair of SIK, Greenland’s national trade union confederation, said ordinary Greenlanders did not recognise Trump’s portrayal of the situation.
“We can’t see it. We can’t recognise it. And we can’t understand it,” Berthelsen said, dismissing claims of widespread foreign naval activity.
Greenlandic authorities acknowledge growing international interest in the Arctic but say existing monitoring and cooperation mechanisms are sufficient to address security concerns without undermining sovereignty.
As climate change accelerates Arctic melting and global competition for resources intensifies, Greenland has become an increasingly strategic focal point. But for its leaders, the message to Washington is clear: security cannot come at the expense of democratic choice.
“We are not for sale,” one Greenlandic politician said. “And our future will not be decided in Washington, Beijing or Moscow — only in Greenland.”
For now, the unified response from Greenland’s political leadership has drawn a firm line against Trump’s rhetoric, even as uncertainty over US policy and Arctic geopolitics continues to grow.
