President Donald Trump said yesterday Greenland should be controlled by the United States, not Denmark, reaffirming a stance that has caused tensions among Nato allies just as leaders of the alliance gathered for a summit in Türkiye.
Trump’s assertions that the US must acquire or control Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, have long strained relations between Washington and Copenhagen – both founding Nato members – and more broadly US ties with Europe.
The issue has since moved to a diplomatic track. “That should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark,” Trump said of Greenland in comments to reporters during a meeting with Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan.
Hours later, also speaking in Ankara, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she expected allies to respect the sovereignty of the Danish kingdom and accept that Greenland was not for sale.
“It is a well-known position of the United States that it wants to own and take over Greenland. I hope that it is equally well-known everywhere that this is not going to happen,” Frederiksen said.
She added that there were no plans to discuss in Ankara issues concerning the High North, the Arctic or Greenland.
Greenland’s Foreign Minister Mute Egede said in a post on Facebook that Greenland’s future should be decided by its people.
“That’s how it has always been. And that’s how it always will be,” he said, adding that Greenland should continue close co-operation with its allies.
Trump said the issue of control over Greenland had harmed US ties with Nato.
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