Denmark’s Prime Minister Demands Trump End Threats to Take Greenland
(FILES) (L-R) US President Donald Trump and Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry attend an event with Hyundai executives in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, March 24, 2025. Denmark said on December 22, 2025 it would summon the US ambassador after President Donald Trump appointed a special envoy to Greenland who immediately vowed to make the Danish autonomous territory "a part of the US". Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly said the US needs the resource-rich Arctic island for security reasons, and has refused to rule out using force to secure it. On December 21, Trump appointed Louisiana governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on December 22 he was "deeply angered" by the move and warned Washington to respect Denmark's sovereignty, with the EU later offering its "full solidarity". (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Sunday urged President Donald Trump to stop threatening to take over Greenland, following his recent comments about U.S. interests in the Arctic territory.
“It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the U.S. needing to take over Greenland,” Frederiksen said. “The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom.”
Trump previously stated that the United States needs Greenland for defense, a comment that comes after he named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland on December 21. This follows Washington’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his claim that the U.S. would run Venezuela.
Frederiksen warned: “I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people, who have very clearly said that they are not for sale.”
The Greenlandic prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside regular hours.
Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory with strategic value between Europe and North America, is also rich in minerals. The U.S. has expressed interest in reducing its reliance on Chinese exports by targeting the island’s resources.
As a former Danish colony, Greenland holds the right to declare independence under a 2009 agreement but relies heavily on Danish financial support.
Denmark has worked to repair strained relations with Greenland over the past year while also addressing tensions with the Trump administration through increased investment in Arctic defense.
