Danish PM tells US 'you cannot annex another country' on visit to Greenland

Source: The Guardian

Thu 3 Apr 2025 14.15 EDT
First published on Thu 3 Apr 2025 09.29 EDT


The Danish prime minister has put on a show of unity with Greenlandic leaders in her first visit to the Arctic island since Donald Trump’s renewed threats to acquire the territory, telling the US: “You cannot annex another country.” Speaking onboard an inspection ship in front of a military helicopter, alongside Greenland’s new prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, and its outgoing prime minister, Múte B Egede, Mette Frederiksen switched from Danish to English to address the diplomatic standoff with the Trump administration.

“This is about the world order that we have built together across the Atlantic over generations,” she said. “You cannot annex another country – not even with an argument about international security.” Her words came after a six-hour boat trip on the ocean-patrol vessel HDMS Vædderen with the two Greenlandic leaders during which they also viewed the area from above in a helicopter.

“If you want to strengthen security in the Arctic, as we would like, let’s do it together,” she told the US. Denmark and Greenland “want to cooperate with the United States”, she said. “If you want to be more present in Greenland, Greenland and Denmark are ready. If you want to strengthen security in the Arctic, as we would like, let’s do it together.”

Accusing the US of subjecting Denmark and Greenland to “pressure and threats”, she said: “What should we believe about the country we have admired for many years?” Nielsen said: “Dialogue is of course the way forward, but it is also a great uncertainty that there is no dialogue now. That is why it is important to have dialogue that is based on respect.”

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/03/danish-pm-mette-frederiksen-visits-greenland-show-solidarity-trump-acquisition-threats