Denmark, Greenland leaders urge Trump to halt ‘nonsensical’ threats to seize Greenland

The prime ministers of Greenland and Denmark have called on US President Donald Trump to stop making statements suggesting the United States should take control of Greenland, calling the remarks disrespectful and unfounded.

The calls come after Trump renewed his push to control Greenland during a Sunday interview with The Atlantic on the US raid and ensuing capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.

“We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense,” Trump said.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen wrote on Facebook, “It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the US needing to take over Greenland. The US has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish kingdom.”

Frederiksen noted that Denmark is a NATO ally and that Greenland, as part of the kingdom, is covered by the alliance’s security guarantee.

“I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have very clearly said that they are not for sale,” she said.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen responded on the same platform, “When the president of the United States talks about ‘we need Greenland’ and connects us with Venezuela and military intervention, it’s not just wrong. This is so disrespectful.”

Later on Sunday, while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump reaffirmed his stance.

“We need Greenland… It’s so strategic,” he said. “Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.”

“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he claimed

Trump also noted, however, that the matter was not immediate, “We’ll worry about Greenland in about two months.”

Shortly after Trump’s comments, right-wing podcaster Katie Miller – a former Trump aide married to senior adviser Stephen Miller – posted on X a map of Greenland draped in the US flag with the caption “SOON.”

Explainer: Trump doubles down on bid to grab Greenland – what’s really behind it?

Trump has dramatically stepped up efforts to seize control of Greenland by dispatching Vice President JD Vance to visit the semi-autonomous territory, which the United States has eyed for over 150 years.

Trump is not the first American president to eye Greenland. The idea of acquiring the world’s largest island has surfaced multiple times in US history, with notable internal discussions occurring in 1867, 1910, 1946, 1955, and most recently under Trump in 2019 and 2025.

Straddling the Arctic Circle between the US, Russia, and Europe, the island holds a unique geopolitical advantage that has drawn Washington’s interest for over a century and a half.

Trump first made waves with his offer to buy Greenland during his first term, but he has taken his desire to “own” the island to a whole new level since returning to the White House for a second term in January.

“I think we’re going to get it,” Trump said in his congressional address in March. “One way or the other, we’re going to get it.”

The US’s interest in Greenland is a microcosm of its broader Arctic strategy—a bid to secure economic interests, project power under the pretext of national security, and counter the growing influence of rival powers in this strategically vital region.

Relations between Greenland and Denmark have long been strained, as many Greenlanders continue to harbor grievances over colonial-era mistreatment.

However, Trump’s aggressive push for Greenland has spurred Denmark to improve its ties with the semi-autonomous island.

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