Greenland not for sale but open to more security cooperation with US, says Danish PM

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said that while Greenland is not for sale, the United States may have an increased presence in and around the island to address legitimate security interests.

For weeks, US President Donald Trump has said the control of Greenland is a must for the United States. He has threatened to invade the island to annex it. Even though some of his supporters have sought to downplay the treats, he and his allies have ratcheted up the rhetoric in recent days. Vice President JD Vance has dubbed Denmark as a bad ally and said Trump does not care what Europe says about Greenland.

Greenland is one of the many targets of Trump’s unravelling expansionist agenda . He has also threatened to invade Panama to annex Panama Canal and has declared his intend to merge Canada into the United States as a state.

Speaking at a meeting of the European Union (EU) in Brussels, Frederiksen on Monday said that legitimate security concerns regarding Greenland and Arctic can be addressed but the acquisition of the island is off the table.

Frederiksen appears to be seeking a middle ground to resolve a crisis that Trump has triggered, testing the longstanding Transatlantic partnership. Her mention of security concerns come as some in Trump’s orbit have said that his rhetoric on Greenland is rooted in legitimate security concerns , such as rising influence of Russia and China in the island the waters around it.

‘I agree with Americans on importance of Arctic region’

In a sign that Denmark is open to more US presence in and around Greenland, Frederiksen said she shares security concerns of Americans and is committed to finding a way to address those concerns.

“I totally agree with the Americans that the High North, the Arctic region, is becoming more and more important when we are talking about defence and security and deterrence. And it is possible to find a way to ensure stronger footprints in Greenland,” said Frederiksen, according to The Daily Telegraph.

While Frederiksen maintained that Greenland was “not for sale”, in a sign of openness to increased US military presence on the island, Frederiksen told the media later that the United States “can have more possibilities”.

Frederiksen further said, “So if this is about securing our part of the world, we can find a way forward.”

The United States has a military base in Greenland called Pituffik Space Base. It is operated by the US Space Force and is the northernmost US military base. It is engaged in missile warning, missile defence, and space surveillance operations and houses a solid-state phased-array radar. It also has a runway that is operable throughout the year even though the base is covered in snow for nine months in a year.

US Vice President Vance on Sunday trashed Denmark for being a bad ally and not doing enough for the island’s security.

Flagging the influence of Russia and China in the region, Vance said that Denmark was “not doing its job and it’s not being a good ally”.

Without naming Vance, Frederiksen junked the remarks and said that Danish soldiers have side-by-side with the United States for decades.

“We have fought side by side with the Americans for many, many decades. I will not accept the notion that Denmark is a bad ally. We are not, we have not been, and we will not be in the future,” said Frederiksen.