Greenland’s five political parties united on Friday to deliver a clear message to President Donald Trump, releasing a joint statement that rebuffed his increasingly attempts to the island for the United States.
“We do not want to be Americans, we do not want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders,” the statement said, signed by the leaders of the five political parties, including Greenland’s prime minister “The future of Greenland must be decided by the Greenlandic people.”
This action follows Trump’s ongoing push this week for a U.S. takeover of Greenland—currently an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark—where he told reporters Friday: “We are going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not.”
The leaders of Greenland’s five political parties seemed to push back against Trump’s remarks: “We would like to emphasize once again our desire for the U.S.’s disdain for our country to end.” They added that the nation’s parliament, the Inatsisartut, would schedule an early meeting to debate the U.S. threats.
Trump has long set his sights on acquiring the Arctic island for the U.S., but he has grown more insistent in his second term, framing it as a national security priority amid rising regional competition with Russia and China.
“Because if we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor,” Trump continued Friday in the White House. “I would like to make a deal the easy way, but if we don’t do it the easy way, we will do it the hard way.”
Trump has to control Greenland in the wake of the shocking of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and subsequent that the U.S. would oil from the nation, which boasts the world’s .
Like Venezuela, Greenland holds natural resources sought by Trump and the United States: the island contains 25 of the 34 minerals categorized as “critical raw materials” by the European Commission, and is also believed to be rich in oil. Several of these minerals—essential for AI microchips, advanced technology, and military use—have been at the center of U.S. trade.
European leaders have grown increasingly vocal in warning Trump against invading the island, which is home to 57,000 people.
Six European countries—the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain—issued a joint statement supporting Denmark on Tuesday, arguing that Arctic security must be ensured “collectively.”
“Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” the statement concluded.
European Union Council President Antonio Costa stated on Wednesday that Greenland has “full support and solidarity of the European Union,” as European nations lobby in Washington.
Meanwhile, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that a U.S. military takeover of Greenland could