Danish foreign minister responds to Trump: ‘Greenland is not open to annexation’

The Danish foreign minister responds to President Trump’s statements, reiterating that Greenland is not open to annexation by the United States. The autonomous island remains under Denmark’s sovereignty

Greenland has no intention of joining the United States. This was firmly reiterated by Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, responding to statements by President Donald Trump, who, in a meeting with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, expressed his confidence in the annexation of the autonomous Danish island. ‘Neither under the NATO Treaty, the UN Charter or international law is Greenland open to annexation,’ said Rasmussen, dryly rejecting Trump’s claims.

The issue arose after Trump again ventilated the idea of annexation, stating that it ‘will happen’ and that it will be crucial for US and international security. In a public conversation with Rutte, Trump sought the Nato leader’s support, pointing to him as a decisive figure in the realisation of this project. ‘I think it will happen. I didn’t think much about it before, but Mark, we need it for international security,’ Trump said. However, Rutte showed no signs of complicity with the American president.

The recently held elections in Greenland saw the success of the centre-right and a significant increase in support for the independents, a trend that seems to be pushing the island further away from any possibility of annexation. Trump commented on the election result, stating that ‘it was a good election’ and that ‘the person who did best is a good person as far as we are concerned’, without providing further details.

Another theme that has fuelled Trump’s views on annexation is the growing strategic importance of the Arctic, with the US president announcing plans to order 48 icebreakers to strengthen the US presence in the region. ‘That whole area is becoming very important,’ Trump said, arguing that Denmark is unable to adequately protect the territory. ‘Denmark has nothing to do with this,’ he added, downplaying the country’s historical rights to Greenlandic territory.

These statements did not fail to raise international doubts and concerns, especially because of the fragile diplomatic situation that might emerge between Washington and Copenhagen. However, the response of the Danish and Greenlandic authorities has been firm: the sovereignty of the island remains under Denmark and there are no openings towards a possible annexation.

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