Trump Has Not Withdrawn Threat Of Sanctions Against Denmark Over Greenland

1/17/2025 2:51:08 PM

(MENAFN- Newsroom Panama) Denmark tells Trump: Greenland should decide on its own independence. US President-elect Donald trump did not back down in a telephone conversation with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Wednesday from threatening to impose tariffs if she does not sell Greenland to the United States, the Nordic country's prime minister said Thursday. “The American side has hinted that, unfortunately, there could be a situation where we work less together than we do now in the economic area. This is not something we recommend. We do not want any conflict with the Americans in the trade area,” Frederiksen said after meeting with the leaders of all parties represented in parliament to explain the content of the conversation with Trump.

Trump Has Not Withdrawn Threat Of Sanctions Against Denmark Over Greenland Image

According to the Prime Minister's office, during the conversation, which lasted about 45 minutes,
Frederiksen reiterated that Greenland is not for sale
and that it is its inhabitants who will decide on its independence from the Danish kingdom, in addition to showing Denmark's willingness to assume“greater responsibility” for Arctic security.
Frederiksen also said that she had invited Trump to visit Denmark, but that there were no plans for that at the moment.
Trump said last week that he would not rule out the use of force or economic sanctions to seize Greenland, a statement later qualified by his future vice president, JD Vance.
“We are in a serious situation lately. We are doing everything we can to handle it as intelligently as possible,” said the Danish prime minister, who revealed that the first person she informed about the conversation with Trump was the Greenlandic president, Múte B. Egede.

Egede has repeatedly stressed in recent days that his country is not for sale, but also that he wants to“explore” the possibilities of increasing cooperation with the United States, pointing to the mining sector as an obvious area of cooperation, considering the island's rich subsoil, and that there is a dialogue on defense.
The United States
has a base in the north of the island under a sweeping defence agreement with Denmark signed seven decades ago that includes the possibility of increasing the US military presence.
Frederiksen is due to meet on Thursday with top executives from major Danish multinationals such as pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk and brewer Carlsberg to discuss tensions with the United States over Greenland.
Greenland, the world's largest island, with an area of two million square kilometres (80% covered by ice) and just 56,000 inhabitants, has enjoyed a new status since 2009 that recognizes its right to self-determination.
Most parties and the population support separation from Denmark, but half of the island's budget depends on annual aid from Copenhagen and attempts to increase revenue from its mineral and oil wealth have so far failed due to the difficulties and high costs of extraction.

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