Greenland’s prime minister says territory 'chooses Denmark' ahead of Washington talks

Greenland’s prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the territory “chooses Denmark” and is not for sale at a joint briefing with Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen, ahead of a Washington meeting on Wednesday that US vice-president JD Vance will host with Greenlandic and Danish ministers.

Nielsen said “Greenland does not want to be owned by the US, Greenland does not want to be governed by the US, Greenland does not want to be part of the US” and added that Greenland will remain part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Frederiksen said Denmark had faced “completely unacceptable pressure from our closest ally” and warned “the hardest part now lies ahead,” reiterating that “Greenland is not for sale.” She defended not joining the talks personally because they were agreed to be held at foreign-minister level.

Greenland’s minister for industry and resources, Naaja Nathanielsen, told UK lawmakers the US rhetoric had been “bewildering” and caused “quite a bit of worry,” with residents reporting sleep problems and anxiety. She said Greenland felt “betrayed,” that it had no intention of becoming a US territory, and that she hoped the Washington meeting would bring “more clarity”; she also said some contingency plans were being considered without giving details.

Key Topics

World, Greenland, Denmark, Jens-frederik Nielsen, Mette Frederiksen, Jd Vance