Danish leaders reject US claims on Greenland, reaffirm sovereignty

Nuuk (Greenland):  Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has reaffirmed that Greenland remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark, rejecting recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, who said the US would “go as far as they have to” to acquire the island.

“Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. That is not going to change,” Frederiksen told Danish media on Thursday.

“Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people,” she added.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen also criticised what he called a “false narrative” in US political circles suggesting Greenland is eager to become American, Xinhua news agency reported.

Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen described Trump’s rhetoric as a “veiled threat” and “deeply inappropriate,” warning that the US was escalating tensions.

“It is the people of Greenland who determine Greenland’s future,” he said.

Meanwhile, a demonstration has been planned in front of the US Embassy in Copenhagen on Saturday to protest what organisers call “unwanted pressure” from Washington.

The White House announced on Tuesday that Vice-President J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, will visit Pituffik Space Base on Friday to meet US troops and review the security situation.

Earlier plans for Usha Vance to attend cultural events in Nuuk and Sisimiut, including a dog sled race, have been cancelled.

Greenland had been a Danish colony until 1953 when it became an integral part of Denmark.

In 1979, Greenland achieved home rule, gaining greater self-governance while Denmark retained authority over its foreign and defence policy.

Several Trump administration officials and one Republican lawmaker will accompany US Vice-President J.D. Vance and second lady Usha Vance on their trip to Greenland on Friday, a senior White House official told CNN.

The US delegation will leave early on Friday morning and return late Saturday night, the official said.

US national security adviser Michael Waltz, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Senator Mike Lee, a vocal supporter of President Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland, will be accompanying J.D. Vance and Usha Vance.

Trump said on Monday that “people from Greenland are asking us to go there,” but the island’s Prime Minister, Mute B. Egede, called the trip “highly aggressive”.

–IANS