Frederiksen’s condemnation marks her most trenchant criticism of the White House since Trump turned his attention to seizing the self-ruling Danish territory, with its vast reserves of critical minerals and vital geostrategic location in the Arctic.
Frederiksen also noted that Greenlandic representatives were “clear” that “they do not want a visit right now, because they do not have a government,” following an election earlier this month.
“You cannot make a private visit with official representatives from another country,” the Danish prime minister said.
Trump first floated the prospect of the U.S. acquiring Greenland during his first term but has raised the stakes since reentering the White House, refusing to rule out taking the world’s largest island using military force or economic coercion — and calling it an “absolute necessity” for U.S. national security.
Frederiksen stressed that when Trump talks about Greenland, the U.S. president “is serious,” and poses a real threat. “He wants Greenland. Therefore, it cannot be seen independently of anything else.”
She also emphasized that both Copenhagen and Nuuk have a strong desire to cooperate with the U.S. “We are allies, we have a defense agreement on Greenland dating back to 1951. There is no indication in either Denmark or Greenland that we do not want to cooperate with the Americans.