Danish FM: Greenlanders have no desire to become Americans

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen has stated that the people of Greenland do not have a desire to become American citizens.

Rasmussen rejected US President Donald Trump’s recent comments claiming that Greenland’s latest election results are beneficial to US interests, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

“It’s a misinterpretation of the Greenlandic election to conclude that we’ll have an independent Greenland tomorrow, flying a white flag that can then be painted with stars and stripes,” Rasmussen said.

The comments followed Greenland's parliamentary elections on March 11, in which the center-right Democrats defeated the governing left-wing coalition, securing their best results to date. The Democrats, a pro-business party, more than tripled their vote share from the 2021 elections, receiving around 30 per cent of the vote.

The party supports Greenland’s independence but advocates for a gradual approach. Trump made his remarks during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on March 13, noting that the leader of the victorious Democrats, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, is “a very good person.” 

He also reiterated his belief that annexing Greenland “will happen.” However, incoming Greenlandic leader Nielsen pushed back strongly against Trump’s comments. “We don’t want to be Americans. No, we don’t want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders, and we want our own independence in the future,” Nielsen said. “And we want to build our own country by ourselves.”

Trump’s earlier remarks in January, in which he called US control over Greenland, a Danish territory, an “absolute necessity” for American security, caused international uproar. Trump even suggested that the US might use economic or military pressure to gain control of the island. In response, Denmark announced a 2 billion euro investment to strengthen its Arctic defenses, with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen engaging in diplomatic efforts with other European leaders to safeguard Greenland from falling under US control.

Trump expressed interest in acquiring Greenland during his first presidential term (2017-2021). After winning the 2024 presidential election, he revisited this idea, suggesting that he might resort to military or economic pressure to achieve his goal.

In the March 12 parliamentary elections in Greenland, Demokraatit opposition party, which represents business interests, secured first place, while the left-wing opposition party Naleraq took second. Both parties support Greenland’s independence. Ahead of the elections, Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede suggested that in the future, the island might sign an association agreement with Denmark and the Faroe Islands, eventually gaining independence. According to the politician, in such a scenario, the security of Greenland would be guaranteed by the Western alliance.

By Naila Huseynova