As President-elect Donald Trump continues to voice his renewed interest in purchasing Greenland as a territory of the United States, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen shared a message for him: “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”
“Greenland is not for sale,” Frederiksen said Tuesday on Danish television, according to the BBC and Politico EU.
Her comments landed the same day Donald Trump Jr. arrived on the Arctic island in the family’s branded jet for a brief, private visit. On social media, the president-elect referred to his eldest son, and those accompanying him, as his representatives.
Frederiksen’s comments echoed those made by Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede after Donald Trump revived his 2019 idea to buy the land in a statement announcing his pick for ambassador to Denmark.
“Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom,” Egede said last month.
The frigid island has been a territory of Denmark for hundreds of years, gaining rights to home rule in the 20th century.
Trump said in December that “for purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”
He refused to rule out using military force to take control of the island during a lengthy, rambling press conference Tuesday.
An independence movement in Greenland has led to greater degrees of autonomy over the past several decades for residents, who are primarily Inuit. Egede reportedly hinted last week that a referendum on independence from Denmark could be held as early as April of this year.
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Trump’s interest in Greenland stems from its mineral-rich deposits and strategic position between the U.S., Russia and China. The U.S. already operates a military base on the island to detect missiles headed for North America. Melting sea ice may also open up new routes for international trade as the climate crisis worsens.
Frederiksen noted that while selling off the territory may be a non-starter, U.S. investment in Greenland is more than welcome.
“We have a clear interest that it’s the U.S. that plays a large role in that region, and not, for example, Russia,” she said, according to Bloomberg.
Trump Jr. shared scenes from his visit on Instagram.
“This is the founder,” he said, pointing to a statue of Hans Egede, an 18th-century missionary who established the capital city of Nuuk. “Just incredible scenery. Super cool stuff.”
In another video, right-wing activist Charlie Kirk holds the camera as he pans to show Trump Jr. and a cadre of young men.
“They love America. They love Trump. They want to utilize their resources,” Trump Jr. said of the people he apparently met, speaking onboard the family jet before takeoff.
