Denmark: Siltanews – News Desk
U.S. relations with Greenland under the second term of President-elect Donald Trump are already taking a new shape. In December, Trump posted on Truth Social, expressing interest in buying the island, a move that sparked immediate reactions.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede rejected the idea of the island “being for sale,” as did Denmark’s leadership, which controls Greenland. However, following Trump’s comments, Greenland announced it would work toward total independence from Denmark, a notion the Danish government strongly opposes.
Now, both Greenland and Denmark are opening communication with the incoming Trump administration, bringing offers to the table. While the proposal to buy Greenland remains off the table, Denmark has reportedly been in private talks with Trump’s team in recent days. The Danish government said it’s open to discussions about increasing the U.S. military presence in Greenland.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Egede said Monday, Jan. 13, that the country is looking to “strengthen its defense and mining ties” with the U.S. He called the leaders of Greenland’s political parties to a meeting in the capital to discuss Trump’s potential investment on their island.
“This is the first time Greenland has been listened to in an intense way,” Egede said. “We need to be calm and take advantage of things and stand together … Our interest is in cooperation. Greenland is for the Greenlandic people. We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic.”
Egede met with Denmark’s prime minister, on Friday, Jan. 10, who said she had requested a meeting with Trump. Egede also expressed readiness to continue discussions with the president-elect. However, both Greenland and Denmark have made it clear that these talks will not extend to selling the island.
“We also need to make sure Greenland is properly cared for from an American security perspective,” Vance said. “And frankly, the current Danish government has not done a good enough job at securing Greenland. I think there is a real opportunity here for us to take leadership, to protect America’s security, to ensure those natural resources are developed, and that’s what Trump is good at, he’s good at making deals, and there’s a deal to be made in Greenland.”