Greenland’s new prime minister has rejected Donald Trump’s latest threat to take control of the huge, resource-rich island territory.
President Trump claimed the US needed to annex the self-governing region of Denmark for national security purposes.
“President Trump says that the United States ‘will get Greenland.’ Let me be clear: The United States will not get it. We do not belong to anyone else. We decide our own future,” Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a Facebook post.
The prime minister’s statement comes a day after President Trump told NBC News he would not rule out military force to control Greenland.
“We’ll get Greenland. Yeah, 100 per cent,” President Trump said interview on Saturday.
“I think there’s a good possibility that we could do it without military force… This is world peace, this is international security,” he said, but added: “I don’t take anything off the table.”
The interview was the latest in a series of threats made by President Trump since returning to office, including one in an address to US congress.
Both Greenlandic and Danish politicians have reacted with anger to Trump’s repeated suggestions.
Greeland’s youngest prime minister called for political unity in his first press conference as head of the country.
“At a time when we as a people are under pressure, we must stand together,” the former minister of industry and minerals said at the conference in his hometown, Nuuk.
Mr Nielsen, 33, was sworn into office on Friday just hours before a high-profile US delegation led by vice-president JD Vance arrived on the island.
“Our message to Denmark is very simple: you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Mr Vance said. “You have underinvested in the people of Greenland and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass.”
The Danish foreign minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, said on Saturday: “We are open to criticisms, but let me be completely honest, we do not appreciate the tone in which it’s being delivered.
“This is not how you speak to your close allies, and I still consider Denmark and the United States to be close allies.” Denmark is a Nato ally of the United States.
When asked what message his threats sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, given the invasion of Ukraine and annexation of regions, Trump replied, “I don’t care.”