Trump says the US will do “something” about Greenland
Greenlandic party leaders reject Washington's "disregard" and reiterate call for diplomacy
US President Donald Trump guaranteed on Friday that his administration will do “something” about Greenland, whether “the nice way” or “the hard way,” amid pressure to annex the autonomous Danish territory, citing national security reasons for his country.
“Right now we’re going to do something about Greenland, whether they like it or not. Because if we don’t, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as neighbors. I’d like to make a deal, you know, the nice way, but if we don’t do it the nice way, we’ll do it the hard way,” he declared during a meeting with oil company executives at the White House.
Trump, who said he is a “fan of Denmark,” asserted that “they’ve been very nice to him,” but rejected Danish sovereignty over the island and argued that Washington should own it: “When we own it, we defend it,” he said, before adding that a lease is “not defended” in the same way as ownership.
REACTION FROM GREENLAND
The leaders of the Greenlandic parties, including Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen, issued a joint statement following Trump’s remarks, rejecting Washington’s “disregard” and reiterating their call for diplomacy.
“We want to emphasize once again our desire for the United States to cease its disregard for our country.” “We don’t want to be Americans or Danes, we want to be Greenlanders,” they declared, asserting that they are “governed by the Self-Government Act and international law.”
They emphasized that Greenland’s future must be determined by the Greenlandic people and that discussions about the island’s future must also involve dialogue with the population, without interference from any other country.
“We must determine the future of our country ourselves, without pressure to make hasty decisions, delays, or interference from other countries,” they argued, before reiterating their call for dialogue based on diplomacy and international norms.
To this end, they demanded that a “close and intensive dialogue with allies be guaranteed, that the meeting in Parliament (Inatsisartut) be brought forward to ensure a fair and comprehensive political debate, that the rights of the people be protected during this unusual and complex time, and that opportunities to achieve security” throughout the territory be developed.
