Denmark prime minister calls on Trump to “stop the threats” about Greenland
Denmark’s prime minister on Sunday called on President Trump to “end the threats” to seize Greenland after the US president reiterated his desire to seize the Danish territory.
Since returning to the White House a year ago, Trump has repeatedly asserted that integrating Greenland into the United States would serve America’s national security interests, given its strategic location in the Arctic. Greenland is also rich in essential minerals used in high-tech sectors.
Trump’s latest comments on Greenland
In an interview with The Atlantic magazine published on Sunday, Mr. Trump reiterated his desire to seize Greenland.
“We absolutely need Greenland. We need it for our defense,” he told the magazine.
His comments come a day after the US military captured the former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife during a nighttime raid in Caracas. This has raised fears in Denmark that the same thing could happen in Greenland, a Danish territory.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement on Sunday that it was “absolutely insane to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland.”
“The United States has no right to annex any of the three nations of the Danish Kingdom,” she said, adding: “I therefore strongly urge the United States to cease its threats against a historically close ally and against another country and people, who have very clearly stated that they are not for sale.”
In December, Mr. Trump named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, sparking further criticism from Denmark and Greenland.
Denmark reacts after Katie Miller’s social media post
And on Saturday, the wife of one of Mr. Trump’s most influential collaborators fueled criticism by posting on social networks a photo of Greenland painted in the colors of the American flag.
Katie Miller – wife of Mr Trump’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller – put the controversial image of the Danish autonomous territory on her X feed on Saturday evening, hours after the American military operation against Venezuela.
His message had a single word above it: “SOON.”
In response, Denmark’s ambassador to the United States, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, reacted in his own message on Sunday by saying “we expect full respect for the territorial integrity” of Denmark, above a link to Katie Miller’s image.
“We are close allies and must continue to work together as such,” Soerensen said of Denmark’s relationship with the United States. He added that the two countries are “working together to ensure Arctic security” and that it has “significantly strengthened its Arctic security efforts” in 2025, an example of how Denmark takes their “common security” seriously.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also responded on social media, calling Miller’s post “disrespectful” but adding that it “changes nothing” about his country’s independence.
“Our country is not for sale and our future is not determined by social media posts,” Nielsen said in a statement translated from Greenlandic. “We are a democratic society with autonomy, free elections and strong institutions. Our position is clearly anchored in international law and internationally recognized agreements. It remains.”
Stephen Miller is widely seen as the architect of much of Mr. Trump’s policies, guiding the president through his hardline immigration policies and domestic agenda. Katie Miller was Mr. Trump’s deputy press secretary at the Department of Homeland Security during his first term.
She later worked as communications director for then-Vice President Mike Pence and also served as his press secretary.
