Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen repeated on Monday that Greenland is « not for sale, » but she remained open to bolstering the American « footprint » on the Arctic island.
As European Union leaders convened for a meeting in Brussels, Frederiksen addressed President Donald Trump’s prospect of acquiring control of Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark, a U.S. ally, through military or economic force.
« I think we have been very clear from the Kingdom of Denmark, with great support from the European partners and the European Union, that everybody has to respect the sovereignty of all national states in the world, and that Greenland is today a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, it is a part of our territory, and it’s not for sale, » Frederiksen told reporters, speaking in English. « The chairman, the leader of Greenland, has been very clear that they are not for sale. »
Frederiksen signaled that Denmark would welcome Trump sending more troops to Greenland, where the U.S. Space Force already has a base to monitor missile threats.
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Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen talks to media before an informal EU leaders’ retreat on Feb. 3, 2025, in Brussels, Belgium. (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
« I totally agree with the Americans that the High North, that the Arctic region is becoming more and more important when we are talking about defense and security and deterrence, » Frederiksen said, as China and Russia have both been increasingly active in the region. « And it is possible to find a way to ensure stronger footprints in Greenland. They [the U.S.] are already there, and they can have more possibilities. And at the same time, we are willing to scale up from the Kingdom of Denmark. And I think NATO is the same. So if this is about securing our part of the world, we can find a way forward. »
Frederiksen also responded to Trump’s threat of implementing tariffs on imports from the European Union. The Danish leader said EU members « are willing to help each other and to stick together, and I will never support the idea of fighting allies, but of course, if the U.S. puts tough tariffs on Europe, we need a collective and robust response. »
Last week, her government announced a nearly $2 billion agreement with parties, including the governments of Greenland and the Faeroe Islands, to « improve capabilities for surveillance and maintaining sovereignty in the region. » It would include three new Arctic naval vessels, two additional long-range surveillance drones and satellite capacity, the Danish Defense Ministry said.
Meanwhile, European Council President Antonio Costa, noting that the EU has stood beside Ukraine in defense of its borders, said of Greenland on Monday: « Of course, we will stand also for these principles, all the more so if the territorial integrity of a member state of the European Union is questioned. »
Trump has said the United States needs control of Greenland, as well as the Panama Canal, for « national security purposes. » While Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Panama this week, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino pledged to end his country’s key Belts and Road project agreement with China. Trump had lamented Beijing’s increased control of the strategic waterway, built by the United States, connecting the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
The Pituffik Space Base, formerly Thule Air Base, with the domes of the Thule Tracking Station, in northern Greenland on Oct. 4, 2023. (Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
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In Brussels on Monday, Frederiksen also reacted to Vice President JD Vance recently asserting that Denmark has « not been a good ally. » In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Vance repeated that Greenland is « really important to our national security, » as China and Russia increasingly traverse sea lanes near the island, and « frankly, Denmark, which controls Greenland, it’s not doing its job, and it’s not being a good ally. »
« You have to ask yourself, how are we going to solve that problem, solve our own national security if that means that we need to take more territorial interests in Greenland? That is what President Trump is going to do, because he doesn’t care about what the Europeans scream at us. He cares about putting the interests of America’s citizens first, » Vance said, adding, « You’ve got probably 55,000 people living on Greenland who are not actually happy with Danish government. They’ve got great natural resources there. They’ve got an incredibly bountiful country that the Danes aren’t letting them develop and explore. Of course, Donald Trump would take a different approach if he was the leader of Greenland. »
Speaking in Danish, Frederiksen told reporters that Danes « have fought side by side with the Americans for many, many decades, » according to reports and an online translation.
Prime Minister Frederiksen signaled that Denmark would welcome Trump sending more troops to Greenland, where the U.S. Space Force has a base to monitor missile threats. (Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
« We are one of the United States’ most important and strongest allies – and I will not accept the notion that Denmark is a bad ally. We are not, we never have been, and we never will be in the future. The Arctic Cooperation is important. It is something we are willing to prioritize, » Frederiksen said, arguing that it would align with the interests of Denmark, the U.S. and NATO.
« It is sensible, but it is also important that we work together against terrorism, against the destabilization we see in the Baltic Sea right now with sabotage, and it is important that we work together on NATO’s Eastern flank and thereby holding firm in relation to Russia, » she added, turning to the Ukraine war. « So we would be able to work together in many ways, but I do not want to be sitting on Denmark’s name and remuneration that we should be a bad ally, because we are not. »
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Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., visited Greenland’s capital Nuuk, to meet with locals last month, weeks before his father took office.
Trump’s 10% tariffs on Chinese imports into the U.S. took effect this week, as the administration aims to hold Beijing accountable for precursor chemicals said to be fueling the fentanyl crisis. He agreed to suspend a 25% additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tax on energy imported from Canada, including oil, natural gas and electricity, by 30 days after both countries agreed to send additional troops to their borders with the U.S., among other stipulations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
