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Trump dismisses Greenland PM as someone he doesn’t even know
(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump has brushed aside Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, saying he does not know him and issuing a warning of a “big problem” after Nielsen publicly reaffirmed the Arctic island’s allegiance to Denmark rather than the United States.
Tensions over Trump’s stated desire to acquire Greenland intensified during a joint press appearance in Copenhagen on Tuesday, where Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Nielsen appeared together to emphasize their shared position.
“If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU,” Nielsen said.
The remarks came just ahead of planned high-level meetings in Washington involving Danish and Greenlandic representatives and senior US officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump responded sharply when questioned about Nielsen’s comments.
“That’s their problem,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews. “I disagree with them. I don’t know who he is, I don’t know anything about him, but that’s going to be a big problem for him.”
Trump has repeatedly argued that US control over Greenland is necessary to counter potential Chinese or Russian influence in the Arctic, a claim rejected by those countries as well as by local authorities. “One way or the other, we’re gonna have Greenland,” he reiterated on Sunday.
The latest escalation follows a legislative initiative in the US Congress, where Florida Representative Randy Fine introduced the Greenland Annexation and Statehood Act. The proposal would empower the president to take “whatever steps necessary” to obtain the territory. Danish officials have dismissed the idea outright, stressing that Greenland remains part of the Danish kingdom.
Although Denmark has signaled openness to expanding defense cooperation with Washington within NATO, it maintains that decisions about Greenland’s future rest solely with its population, which voted in 2008 to remain a self-governing entity within Denmark. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte declined to directly address the controversy, stating only that his focus is on maintaining security in the Arctic region.
Tensions over Trump’s stated desire to acquire Greenland intensified during a joint press appearance in Copenhagen on Tuesday, where Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Nielsen appeared together to emphasize their shared position.
“If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU,” Nielsen said.
The remarks came just ahead of planned high-level meetings in Washington involving Danish and Greenlandic representatives and senior US officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump responded sharply when questioned about Nielsen’s comments.
“That’s their problem,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews. “I disagree with them. I don’t know who he is, I don’t know anything about him, but that’s going to be a big problem for him.”
Trump has repeatedly argued that US control over Greenland is necessary to counter potential Chinese or Russian influence in the Arctic, a claim rejected by those countries as well as by local authorities. “One way or the other, we’re gonna have Greenland,” he reiterated on Sunday.
The latest escalation follows a legislative initiative in the US Congress, where Florida Representative Randy Fine introduced the Greenland Annexation and Statehood Act. The proposal would empower the president to take “whatever steps necessary” to obtain the territory. Danish officials have dismissed the idea outright, stressing that Greenland remains part of the Danish kingdom.
Although Denmark has signaled openness to expanding defense cooperation with Washington within NATO, it maintains that decisions about Greenland’s future rest solely with its population, which voted in 2008 to remain a self-governing entity within Denmark. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte declined to directly address the controversy, stating only that his focus is on maintaining security in the Arctic region.
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