The leaders of the five parties represented in the Greenland Parliament defended this Friday the right of the inhabitants of the Arctic island to decide their future, in response to the statements of President Donald Trump, who insisted that the United States “will do something” with the territory “by hook or by crook.”
“The future of Greenland must be decided by the Greenlanders. No other country can interfere in it,” says the joint declaration, which underlines the validity of the Statute of Autonomy and international law. “We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders,” added the leaders, led by regional president Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
Trump’s words, spoken this Friday at the White House during a meeting with oil industry executives, generated alarm in Copenhagen and Nuuk. The president assured that control of the island is “crucial” for the national security of the United States, due to the increase in military activity by Russia and China in the Arctic.
Unity statement
The text titled “We are together as a people” was signed by Nielsen and Pelle Broberg, leader of the Naleraq party, among other leaders. The declaration emphasizes that Greenland’s sovereignty is exercised in collaboration with Denmark and under the framework of international law, but that any decision about its political future corresponds exclusively to its inhabitants.
“We will continue to work to develop the possibilities to achieve security for our people throughout the country,” adds the document, which concludes with the phrase: “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”
Trump insists on controlling the island
Trump reiterated that he will not allow Russia or China to “occupy” Greenland and questioned Danish sovereignty over the territory. “The fact that they landed there with a ship 500 years ago does not mean that they own that land,” said the American ruler.
The Republican president acknowledged that he is even considering the option of purchasing the island, although the White House has not specified how that transaction would be carried out. “I want to reach an agreement, you know, the easy way. But if we can’t do it the easy way, we’ll do it the hard way,” he said.
Reactions in Denmark and NATO
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that a US attack on her country would mean “the end of everything,” referring to NATO and the transatlantic security alliance. “I’m a fan of Denmark,” Trump replied, although he insisted that history does not legitimize Danish sovereignty over the island.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke with the head of US diplomacy, Marco Rubio, about how to strengthen security in the Arctic. The Atlantic Alliance has tried to dissuade Washington from unilateral action, highlighting measures already being taken to strengthen defense in the region.
In turn, the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, expressed her disagreement with the Republican leader on Greenland. “I don’t agree with Trump on Greenland,” he said at his year-end press conference, underscoring the need to respect international law.
Other European countries have also expressed their rejection of any attempt to annex or purchase the island, recalling that Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and that its sovereignty is internationally recognized.
The legal framework
Experts in international law point out that the proposed purchase of Greenland is legally unviable. “As long as Greenland is part of the Commonwealth of the Kingdom of Denmark, it cannot be sold. No one has the power to sell it,” explained Frederik Harhoff, professor emeritus at the University of Southern Denmark.
The 2009 Home Rule Statute explicitly recognizes the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination and states that any path to independence would require negotiation with Denmark and a referendum. That process, according to Harhoff, could take several years and would involve resolving technical issues such as the elimination of annual aid from Copenhagen, which represents almost half of the island’s budget than Greenland, which has enormous reserves of strategic minerals (rare earths, lithium, uranium, zinc, iron), in addition to oil, natural gas and fishing resources.
A recent poll shows that the majority of Greenlanders support independence, although not at the cost of losing living standards. The population mostly rejects becoming part of the United States, despite the economic offers that Washington could present.
The declaration of the political parties reflects that feeling: the defense of national identity and the will to decide the future without external pressures.
a viral joke
The controversy also generated reactions on social networks. A viral publication jokingly proposed that Barron Trump, the president’s youngest son, marry Princess Elizabeth of Denmark and that Greenland be given as a “dowry” to the United States.
The idea, which accumulated millions of views, was rejected by users who recalled that “Greenland is not a currency” and that dynastic marriages are not a diplomatic tool in the 21st century.
