As Trump Pushes For Greenland, Danish Leaders Push Back Hard

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Denmark would allow the U.S. to increase its military presence in Greenland. The U.S. has a military base in Greenland, Pituffik Space Base, which monitors missile threats and conducts space surveillance.

After Vice President J.D. Vance claimed that Denmark had not been a good ally, Frederiksen responded by saying, “We have fought side by side with the Americans for many, many decades. I will not accept the notion that Denmark is a bad ally. We are not, we have not been, and we will not be in the future.”

President Donald Trump has expressed his desire to buy Greenland and has not ruled out taking it over using force. Some experts estimate that buying Greenland would cost $1.7 trillion, and it is unclear how serious Trump’s comments about taking over with military force are. The president said that owning Greenland is “absolutely necessary” for U.S. national security. Trump is confident that the U.S. will eventually gain control of Greenland, believing that “the people want to be with us…because it has to do with freedom of the world.” 

Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark that self-rules on local issues, but Denmark controls its defense and foreign policies.

Frederiksen affirmed that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”

The Danish government has reiterated that Greenland “is not for sale” but is open to plans to work with the U.S. on defense.

Greenland Premier Múte Egede and Frederiksen agreed to open discussions together with Trump.

According to Egede, “We have a desire for independence, a desire to be the master of our own house…This is something everyone should respect. But that doesn’t mean we are cutting all ties, all cooperation and all relations with Denmark.”

Frederiksen was reportedly “shocked” by Trump’s aggressive tone on a call with her late last year about Greenland.