Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that President Donald Trump remains “very serious” about acquiring Greenland, and has called the pressure from the United States “unacceptable.” Mette Frederiksen has also said that US threats to take over the Arctic island are far from over.
The US has not said how far it’ll be willing to go in order to acquire Greenland. However, at one point, the ruling class refused to rule out using military force in order to do so.
U.S. Won’t Say How Far It’ll Go To Acquire Greenland
Trump Will Not “Rule Out” Military Action To Take Greenland By Force
While Trump initially did not rule out using military force, last month he announced a framework deal with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Secretary-General Mark Rutte that would forego that particular avenue of acquisition.
Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to acquire the autonomous Danish territory, either by purchase or by simply taking it over. Trump cited its strategic location and alleged threats from Russia and China to try to bolster his “right” to rule the island. These claims have already been dismissed by Copenhagen, Moscow, and Beijing.
“Unfortunately, the US president remains very serious,” Frederiksen said, adding that “the people of Greenland have never been threatened by anyone before.” She made the comments while speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. Frederiksen further stated the threat is far from over, describing the pressure on Greenland as “unacceptable.”
“We now have a working group. We will try to see if we can find a solution… we will do whatever we can, but of course, there are red lines that will not be crossed,” she added, following a 45-minute long meeting on Friday with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Details of those talks have not been made public.
Last month, Frederiksen said that the annexation threats could undermine “everything,” including NATO. French President Emmanuel Macron also criticized Washington’s stance, calling the “Greenland moment” evidence that the Trump administration is “openly anti-European.”
Greenland Warns The U.S. of Its Clear “Red Lines”
So far, the public does not appear to support Trump’s attempt to annex Greenland, and he has been unable to convince them that it is in the US’s best interests to do so.