Greenland PM brushes off US takeover fears after Trump renews interest

Greenland’s prime minister on Monday sought to downplay the prospect of an imminent U.S. takeover attempt, following renewed interest in the mineral-rich Arctic island by President Donald Trump.

Speaking at a news conference shortly after Trump’s military operation in Venezuela over the weekend, Greenland’s Jens Frederik Nielsen dismissed concerns that something similar could happen to the self-governing Danish territory.

“The situation is not such that the United States can simply conquer Greenland,” Greenland’s Nielsen said Monday at a press conference.

“Our country is not really the right one to compare with Venezuela,” he added, according to a CNBC translation.

“We are a country that is democratic and has been democratic for many, many years. If we look at the whole picture, we can understand that some people are concerned,” Nielsen said.

“We want to create and re-establish the cooperation we have previously had with the United States, especially the good cooperation we have had.”

European political leaders have rallied around Greenland and Denmark, which is responsible for the defense of the self-governing island, since Trump repeated his ambitions in the wake of Washington’s intervention in Venezuela.

Speaking to NBC News on Monday evening, Trump said he was “very serious” with his intent to acquire Greenland but conceded he had “no timeline” for doing so.

The U.S. president, who has long advocated for control over the island, said on Sunday on Air Force One that “we need Greenland from the standpoint of national security.”

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, meanwhile, has warned that an American takeover of Greenland would amount to the end of the NATO military alliance.

“I believe that the U.S. president should be taken seriously when he says that he wants Greenland,” Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster TV2 on Monday, according to a CNBC translation.

“But I also want to make it clear, that if the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops. That is, including our NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War,” she added.

Copenhagen has sought to improve ties with Greenland in recent months, pledging to boost spending on health care and infrastructure, while also seeking to defuse tensions with the Trump administration by investing in Arctic defense, including the purchase of 16 additional F-35 fighter jets.

Opinion polls have previously shown that Greenlanders overwhelmingly oppose U.S. control, while a large majority support independence from Denmark.