On January 4, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen asked US President Donald Trump to "stop threats" related to Greenland, after Mr. Trump reaffirmed his desire to take over the autonomous territory of Denmark.
Since returning to the White House 1 year ago, Mr. Trump has repeatedly declared that making Greenland part of the US will serve national security interests, due to the strategic location of this island in the Arctic. Greenland is also rich in important minerals serving high-tech industries.
In an interview with the US magazine The Atlantic on January 4, Mr. Trump said: "We need Greenland, we absolutely need it. We need it for defense.
On the same day, on Air Force One, Mr. Trump continued to say to reporters: "The US needs Greenland, for sure. We need it for defense.
The Greenland issue is not yet prioritized for immediate handling, but we will soon bring it up for discussion in the near future" - Mr. Trump said, saying the US may consider this issue in the next 20 days to 2 months.
These statements were made 1 day after the US military arrested Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a night raid in Caracas. This development raised concerns in Denmark that a similar scenario could happen to Greenland.
In a statement on January 4, Prime Minister Frederiksen declared, "discussing the takeover of Greenland is completely unreasonable". She emphasized: "The US has no right to annex any of the 3 entities constituting the Kingdom of Denmark", while calling on Washington "to stop threats aimed at a close historical ally and aimed at another nation, another people, who have made it very clear that they are not for sale".
Tensions continued to rise after Katie Miller - wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller - posted on social network X a picture of Greenland colored with the US flag, with the words "SOON" (SOON), just hours after the US military campaign in Venezuela.
In response, Danish Ambassador to the US Jesper Moeller Soerensen posted a message requesting the US to fully respect the territorial integrity of Denmark. He reminded that Denmark and the US are close allies, cooperating to ensure security in the Arctic, and said that US security is also the security of Denmark and Greenland.
Greenland Chief Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also spoke out, calling Ms. Miller's post "disrespectful" and affirming that it "does not change anything" about Greenland's independence.
Greenland is not for sale and our future is not decided by social media posts" - he said, emphasizing that Greenland is a democratic society with autonomy, free elections and strong institutions, and this stance is consistent with international law as well as internationally recognized agreements.
Katie Miller served as Deputy Spokesperson for Homeland Security during Mr. Trump's first term, then as Communications Director and Press Secretary for then Vice President Mike Pence.
