- 'Current and repeated rhetoric from US completely unacceptable,' says prime minister of Greenland
ISTANBUL / GENEVA
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Monday that “everything would stop” if the US were to attack another NATO country, responding to renewed statements by US President Donald Trump regarding Greenland.
“If the US chooses to attack another NATO country, then everything would stop,” Frederiksen said in a televised interview.
She said Trump should be taken seriously when he speaks about wanting control over Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and a NATO territory.
“I have said from the beginning that I unfortunately believe the American president is serious about this,” she said.
Frederiksen described Trump’s remarks that he would discuss Greenland again within 20 days as “an unacceptable pressure” and “an unreasonable attack against the international community.” She firmly rejected Trump’s argument that the US needs Greenland for national security reasons.
“No, the American president is not right. You cannot make claims on a part of our kingdom,” she said.
Frederiksen stressed that Denmark, Greenland and European allies had made their opposition clear.
“What we do is say no. The Greenlanders do that. From the Danish side. Our European allies do so as well,” she said, referring to expressions of European support.
Frederiksen said she could not account for what the US does, but only for actions taken by Denmark and Europe, adding that "there is full support from Europe that borders must be respected.”
She noted that Denmark and Greenland have taken steps over the past year to strengthen security in the Arctic region and said: “We agree in NATO that we need to increase security in the high north, but with respect for the existing borders.”
Earlier in a statement, Frederiksen urged the US in a statement to "stop the threats" against a "historically close ally" and against another country and another people "who have made it very clear that they are not for sale.”
“It makes absolutely no sense to talk about it being necessary for the United States to take over Greenland. The United States has no legal basis to annex one of the three countries of the Realm of the Kingdom (Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands),” she said.
US rhetoric about needing Greenland 'completely unacceptable'
Meanwhile, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called US President Donald Trump’s recent rhetoric about needing Greenland “completely unacceptable” and “disrespectful.”
“The current and repeated rhetoric from the United States is completely unacceptable. When the US president talks about 'needing Greenland' and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it is not just wrong. It is disrespectful,” Nielsen said on social media.
Expressing that they are part of NATO and aware of their strategic location, he reiterated the importance of a “respectful and loyal relationship” with Washington. He said “threats, pressure and talk of annexation have no place between friends.”
“Our country is not an object in great-power rhetoric. We are a people. A country. A democracy. That must be respected — especially by close and loyal friends,” Nielsen stressed, adding: “Enough is enough. No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation.”
He said they are open to dialogue that would be made through “proper channels and in respect of international law.”
“And the proper channels are not random and disrespectful posts on social media. Greenland is our home and our territory. And that is how it will remain,” Nielsen said.
Nordic, Baltic nations voice support for Denmark, Greenland
Meanwhile, several Nordic and Baltic countries voiced their support for Denmark and Greenland, noting that only they should decide on their own future.
“It is only Denmark and Greenland that have the right to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland. Sweden fully stands behind our neighboring country,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said through the US social media company X.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store reaffirmed that they stand “fully and completely” behind Denmark, while Finnish President Alexander Stubb expressed his country's “full support.”
“No one decides for Greenland and Denmark but Greenland and Denmark themselves,” Stubb said.
Iceland's Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir also echoed that “nothing about Greenland without Greenland,” “voicing full solidarity.”
“Denmark is a strong democracy and trusted NATO ally. Greenland is an integral part of Kingdom of Denmark. Understanding legitimate security needs of US I believe those can be addressed in a direct dialogue between Denmark and US, and within the collective defence framework,” Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics also said on X.
Estonian member of parliament Marko Mihkelson, who chairs the foreign affairs committee, underscored that Denmark is a “very committed ally” of the US “against any possible threat.”
“Greenland is safe. Only the people of Greenland and Denmark can decide their future and security,” Mihkelson added.
Trump said Sunday that the US needs Greenland for national security reasons, citing what he described as an increased Russian and Chinese presence around the strategically located island country.
He also argued that US control over Greenland would serve broader Western interests, and the EU “needs us to have it” from a security standpoint.
