Denmark’s prime minister on Sunday called on President Trump to “stop threats” to take over Greenland after the US president reiterated his desire to take over Denmark.
Since returning to the White House last year, Mr. Trump has repeatedly said that making Greenland part of the United States would serve US national security interests, given its location in the Arctic. Greenland is also rich in valuable minerals used in high-tech sectors.
Trump’s latest comments on Greenland
In an interview with The Atlantic published on Sunday, Mr. Trump reiterated his desire to take over Greenland.
“We need Greenland, absolutely. We need it to protect ourselves,” he told the magazine.
His comments came a day after US forces arrested the former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife when they raided Caracas. This raised concerns in Denmark that the same could happen in Greenland, a Danish territory.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement on Sunday that “it is absolutely absurd to talk about the need for America to take over Greenland.”
“The US has no right to take any three nations from the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said, adding: “So I would strongly urge the US to stop threats against a close historical friend and another country and other people, who clearly say that they are not traders.”
In December, Mr. Trump named Gov. Louisiana Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, receiving renewed criticism from Denmark and Greenland.
Denmark reacts after Katie Miller posts on social media
And on Saturday, the wife of one of Mr. The increasingly influential Trump sparked criticism when he posted a social media photo of Greenland painted in the colors of the American flag.
Katie Miller – the wife of Mr. Trump Stephen Miller – posted a controversial photo of a Danish landmark on his X feed late Saturday, hours after US military action against Venezuela.
His post had one word above it: “SOON.”
In response, Denmark’s ambassador to the US, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, responded on Sunday with a letter saying “we expect full respect for the territorial integrity” of Denmark, in addition to a link to Katie Miller’s photo.
“We are close partners and we should continue to work together like that,” Soerensen said about Denmark’s relationship with the US. He added that both countries “work together to ensure security in the Arctic” and that he was “significantly increasing its security efforts in the Arctic” by 2025, an example of how it takes “joint security seriously.”
Greenland’s 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 decided by social media,” Nielsen said in a statement translated into Greenlandic. “We are a democratic society with independence, free elections and strong institutions. Our vision is clearly based on international law and internationally recognized agreements.
Stephen Miller is widely seen as the architect of many of Mr. Trump, who directs the president with his tough immigration policies and domestic programs. Katie Miller was deputy press secretary under Mr Trump at the Department of Homeland Security during his first term.
She later served as communications director for former Vice President Mike Pence and served as his press secretary.
