Denmark’s prime minister says ‘stop the threats’ of U.S. annexing Greenland : NPR
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speaks during a press conference in Brussels, Belgium, December 19. She says the United States should stop threatening to annex Greenland.
John Thys/AFP via Getty Images
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John Thys/AFP via Getty Images
Denmark defended its authority over Greenland on Sunday after President Trump and the wife of a Trump adviser renewed calls for the United States to annex the territory.
On Saturday, Katie Miller, wife of President Trump’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, posted a photo of the American flag covering Greenland on X. She captioned the photo with the word “SOON.”
Then on Sunday, Trump said in an interview with The Atlantic that Greenland could be subject to future American intervention.
“We absolutely need Greenland,” Trump said. “We need it for defense.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement Sunday that the United States has “no right to annex” Denmark’s territories and called on the United States to “end threats” to take over Greenland.
Jesper Møller Sørensen, Denmark’s ambassador to the United States, responded to Miller’s message by saying “we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
“Just a friendly reminder about the United States and the Kingdom of Denmark: we are close allies and must continue to work together as such,” he said.
Greenland has been under Danish control since the early 18th century, but gained autonomy in 1979.
Miller’s post Saturday came hours after the U.S. military carried out airstrikes in the Venezuelan capital and captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Trump said during a news conference that the United States would “lead” Venezuela until there was a leadership transition.
Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in annexing Greenland to Denmark due to its strategic location in the Arctic. He named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland last month, sparking diplomatic concerns in Europe.
