On 13 March, in a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump once again reiterated his desire to annex and control Greenland, citing its importance for international security.
In response, Greenland’s incoming leader Jens Frederik Nielsen has stated clearly that Greenlanders do not wish to be Americans or Danes but to be Greenlanders, seeking independence in the future so they can build their country by themselves. Likewise, Greenland’s outgoing leader Mute Bourup Egede, still interim head of government, openly denounced Trump’s rhetoric as the continued disrespect of a nation that is unacceptable and has to stop. Enough is enough, he said, in what has been the firmest rejection of Trump’s adventurism since the idea was first mooted in 2019 and then repeated in 2024. What started off as a mild-mannered put down to a bold request by its closest ally, so outrageous as to be slightly amusing, has now given way to a unified and unequivocal response borne out of frustration and an acute sense of being wronged and disrespected.
On Friday, 14 March, at Egede’s behest, the chairmen of the five parties elected to the Greenlandic Parliament (Inatsisarsut) – Jens Frederik Nielsen of Demokraatit, Pele Broberg of Naleraq, Mute Bourup Egede of Inuit Ataqatigiit, Vivian Motzfeldt of Siumut and Aqqalu Jeremiassen of Atassut – met and released a joint statement:
“We – all party chairmen – cannot accept the repeated statements about annexation and control of Greenland. As party chairmen, we find this behavior unacceptable towards friends and allies in a defense alliance. We, as the leaders of all parties in Inatsisartut in Greenland, must emphasise that Greenland continues the work for Greenland, which is already underway through diplomatic channels in accordance with international laws and regulations. We all stand behind this effort and strongly oppose attempts to create discord. Greenland is one country, which everyone will stand behind.”
Despite any political differences between the five leaders on other issues, one thing is as clear as daylight: they are all very much united in their firm rejection of any US offer. This statement is significant in the context of the wave of misunderstanding and disinformation engulfing the US on the subject, with supporters of Trump intentionally and even critics of Trump unwittingly portraying some parties as more sympathetic to Trump’s ambitions than the others to make the case that the idea of Greenland joining the US enjoys more local support in Greenland than it actually does. The joint statement makes clear that all five parties find the proposition unacceptable and disrespectful.
Given what seems to be the tactic of the Trump camp to sow tares and play up divisions, and grossly misrepresent the interest of a motley few enamoured by Trump as the collective aspiration of the many who are clearly not, it is entirely understandable that the outgoing leader should wish to convene the leaders of all parties in Greenland to come up with a joint statement firmly rebuking such disrespect. If the result of the election reveals anything, it is that while many Greenlanders care for the questions of political independence from Denmark and the future relationship with the US, they care equally if not more about local issues that concern their everyday lives, such as healthcare, education, childcare, and more. These are issues where the US lags far, far behind than the Nordic states, so apart from Greenland not being on sale, the proposal to join the US is simply not an attractive one.
This is not to say that the US does not have legitimate security interests in Greenland. He is absolutely right to recognise the immense strategic importance of Greenland, as even NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte acknowledged. It is a pity that in a field so ripe with opportunity though, he should speak of acquisition and annexation (entirely unhelpful and unwelcome) instead of simply cultivating goodwill towards the US and encouraging American investment (actually helpful and welcome). At a time when the US really needs Greenland for all of the many security and resource reasons that Trump correctly identifies, Trump is doing more to hurt and undermine the US-Greenland relationship than any of his predecessors, a strategy that is proving entirely counter-productive and driving a wedge between the two allies.”
Comments by Dr Dwayne Ryan Menezes, Founder and Managing Director, Polar Research and Policy Initiative (PRPI)
