Greenland shows unity with Denmark: "If we have to choose, we choose Denmark, NATO and the EU"

Barcelona / LondonThe governments of Denmark and Greenland sought to send a unified message of unity on Tuesday amidst the growing threats from US President Donald Trump to conquer the Arctic islandDanish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen held a joint press conference at Christiansborg Palace, the seat of the Danish government and parliament, to reiterate a unified message they have been repeating in recent days: Greenland is not for sale.

Since the success of the military operation in Venezuela to capture Nicolás Maduro, Trump has intensified threats against Greenland, asserting that the United States must take control "by hook or by crook." The joint press conference reinforces the image of unity in this foreign policy crisis. "For more than a year, we have had to manage an unprecedented situation, and we have done so together," Frederiksen emphasized. "There are many indications that the most difficult part is yet to come," she warned. She added, "We are not seeking conflict, but our message is clear: Greenland is not for sale."

The Greenlandic leader has stated his objectives: "Peaceful dialogue with a focus on cooperation, international law, and our own country's law." But he made clear the same message as Frederiksen: "There is something everyone must understand: Greenland does not want to be owned by the US. Greenland does not want to be governed by the US." He added: "If we have to choose here and now, we choose Denmark, NATO, and the EU. This is not the time for division." When asked if Nuuk would accept a good offer from Washington, Nielsen was firm: "Greenland is not for sale."

Visit to Washington

The joint press conference comes the day before a key meeting: in a diplomatic effort to curb Trump's militaristic threats, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, will travel to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday for a meeting. Last week, the U.S. Secretary of State announced that this meeting would take place after Copenhagen and Nuuk requested a meeting to ease tensions. Until now, however, neither the date nor the location had been confirmed. Finally, it will be at the White House, and the host will not be Rubio but Vice President J.D. Vance.

The fact that Donald Trump's second-in-command is also participating in the meeting is causing concern in Copenhagen. Vance has already set foot in Greenland In March of last year, two months after Trump took office, and already amid threats to seize control of this autonomous territory of Denmark, Vance criticized Denmark for what the United States considered insufficient investment in Greenland's security. "They haven't done a good job," he said from the Pituffik military base (formerly known as Thule), the only site he visited despite protests from Greenlanders. Meanwhile, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced that he will travel with the Greenlandic Foreign Minister to Brussels next Monday to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. So far, the head of the Atlantic Alliance has publicly aligned himself more with Trump's message that Greenland's security needs strengthening than with supporting Denmark, a founding member of NATO.

This Tuesday, the Danish leader stated that if the issue is one of security, to defend against possible attacks from Russia or China, Denmark is willing to continue investing in it. "If it's about security in the Arctic, we are driven by a firm commitment to guaranteeing our security policy. We have demonstrated this for many years. And we are prepared to invest whatever is necessary."

"What can you offer the US to end the crisis?" a journalist asked Frederiksen. "What we can offer is to be the good ally we have been for many years. For decades. We can offer what we have offered for many years," she replied.

Investments on the island

Greenland's diplomatic offensive also reached London on Tuesday, where Minister for Business, Natural Resources, Justice and Equality Naaja Nathanielsen delivered the same message in the House of Commons as Frederiksen and Nielsen had in Copenhagen. She insisted on the need to "prioritize" international law and that Greenland is an ally of the United States. She also emphasized that despite Donald Trump's renewed interest in the island, "we don't currently have much investment from the United States." There is much more investment from Canadians, British, Danes, and other Europeans, she noted.

The minister, already very cautious about her expectations for Wednesday's meeting, also recalled that Greenland had been asking "for years for greater control of the Arctic," in reference to the possible Chinese and Russian presence, one of Trump's excuses to justify his potential acquisition, "by hook or by crook." "We don't currently detect any threat, but we have no problem being more vigilant about what's happening around Greenland," Nathanielsen added.