The show of unity saw all leaders of parties in the Inatsisartut – the parliament – release a joint message saying they “cannot accept the repeated statements about annexation and control of Greenland”.

It follows a meeting between Trump and Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte on Thursday, where the president seemed to double down on his annexation plan.

Greenland’s joint statement was orchestrated by outgoing Prime Minister Mute B Egede, whose party was defeated in an election on Tuesday.

“Our country will never be the USA and we Greenlanders will never be Americans,” Egede wrote on Facebook. “Don’t keep treating us with disrespect. Enough is enough.”

Greenland – the world’s biggest island, between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans – has been controlled by Denmark, nearly 3,000km (1,860 miles) away, for about 300 years.

Greenland governs its own domestic affairs, but decisions on foreign and defence policy are made in Copenhagen.

The US has long had a security interest in the island. It has had a military base there since World War Two, and Trump is probably also keen on the rare earth minerals that could be mined.

Greenland was already on the defensive about Trump’s annexing talk, but his comments to Rutte at the White House sent further shockwaves when he implied that Nato’s help might be needed to seize the island.

“You know, Mark, we need that for international security… we have a lot of our favourite players cruising around the coast, and we have to be careful,” Trump said.

“We’ll be talking to you,” he added.

When asked about the prospect of annexation, Trump said: “I think that will happen.”

Rutte has been criticised in both Greenland and Denmark for not reprimanding Trump. Instead, he said he would “leave that [issue] outside… I do not want to drag Nato into that”.

He then pivoted to praise – something several world leaders have used when dealing with Donald Trump – saying he was “totally right” that security in the Arctic must be maintained.

The joint statement from Greenland’s politicians emphasised that they are united in their pushback against Trump’s plan.

“Greenland continues the work for Greenland,” the statement said.

“We all stand behind this effort and strongly distance ourselves from attempts to create discord.”

Their decision to speak out came three days after elections in which the centre-right opposition – the Democratic Party – won a surprise victory.

Its leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who is likely to be Greenland’s new prime minister, is now negotiating with other parties to form a coalition.

US President Donald Trump’s repeated interest in acquiring Greenland has put it firmly in the spotlight and fuelled the longstanding debate on the island’s future ties with Copenhagen.

“There’s never been a spotlight like this on Greenland before,” says Nauja Bianco, a Danish-Greenlandic policy expert on the Arctic.

Greenland has been controlled by Denmark – nearly 3,000km (1,860 miles) away – for about 300 years. It governs its own domestic affairs, but decisions on foreign and defence policy are made in Copenhagen.

Now, five out of six parties on the ballot favour Greenland’s independence from Denmark, differing only on how quickly that should come about.

Voting takes place over 11 hours at 72 polling stations, and ends at 20:00 local time on Tuesday (22:00G).

The debate over independence has been “put on steroids by Trump”, says Masaana Egede, editor of Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq.

The island’s strategic location and untapped mineral resources have caught the US president’s eye. He first floated the idea of buying Greenland during his first term in 2019.

Since taking office again in January, he has reiterated his intention to acquire the territory. Greenland and Denmark’s leaders have repeatedly rebuffed his demands.

Addressing the US Congress last week, however, Trump again doubled down. “We need Greenland for national security. One way or the other we’re gonna get it,” he said, prompting applause and laughter from a number of politicians, including Vice-President JD Vance.

In Nuuk, his words struck a nerve with politicians who were quick to condemn them. “We deserve to be treated with respect and I don’t think the American president has done that lately since he took office,” Prime Minister Mute Egede said.

Still, the US interest has stoked calls for Greenland to break away from Denmark, with much of the debate focused on when – not if – the process of independence should begin.

Greenland’s independence goal is not new, Nauja Bianco points out, and has been decades in the making.

A string of revelations about past mistreatment of Inuit people by the Danes have hurt Greenlandic public opinion about Denmark. Earlier this year, PM Egede said the territory should free itself from “the shackles of colonialism”.

But it is the first time the subject has taken centre stage in an election.

Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), the party of Prime Minister Mute Egede, favours gradual steps towards autonomy. “Citizens must feel secure,” he told local media.

Arctic expert Martin Breum says Egede’s handling of the challenge from Trump and strong words against Denmark over past colonial wrongdoings “will give him a lot of votes”.

Smaller rivals could also gain ground and potentially shake up alliances.

Opposition party Naleraq wants to immediately kick-off divorce proceedings from Copenhagen and have closer defence dealings with Washington.

Pointing to Greenland’s EU departure and Brexit, party leader Pele Broberg has said that Greenland could be “out of the Danish kingdom in three years”.

Naleraq is fielding the largest number of candidates and has gained momentum by riding the wave of discontent with Denmark.

“Naleraq will also be a larger factor too in parliament,” predicts Mr Breum, who says party candidates have performed well on TV and on social media.

However, the centre-right Demokraatit party believes it is too soon to push for independence.

“The economy will have to be much stronger than it is today,” party candidate Justus Hansen told Reuters.

Greenland’s economy is driven by fishing, and government spending relies on annual subsidies from Denmark.

Talk of Trump and independence has overshadowed other key issues for voters, says newspaper editor Masaana Egede.

“It’s an election where we should be talking about healthcare, care of the elderly and social problems. Almost everything is about independence.”

According to recent polls, almost 80% of Greenlanders back moves towards future statehood.

About 44,000 people are eligible to vote, and given the low numbers and few polls, results are difficult to forecast.

Even though a majority of Greenlanders favour independence, a survey has shown that half would be less enthusiastic about independence if that meant lower living standards.

One poll found that 85% of Greenlanders do not wish to become a part of the United States, and nearly half see Trump’s interest as a threat.

One fear among some Greenlanders, says Masaana Egede, is how long the Arctic island could remain independent and whether it would break off from Denmark only to have another country “standing on our coasts and start taking over”.

Experts say it is this worry that could steer votes towards keeping the status quo.

Although Greenland’s right to self-determination is enshrined into law by the 2009 Self-Rule Act, there are several steps to take before the territory could break away from Denmark, including holding a referendum.

This means getting full independence could take “about 10 to 15 years,” says Kaj Kleist, a veteran Greenlandic politician and civil servant who prepared the Self-Rule Act.

“There is lot of preparation and negotiations with the Danish government before you can make that a reality,” he adds.

Whatever the election’s outcome, experts do not believe Greenland could become independent before Trump’s second term is over in 2028.

The results are expected in the early hours of Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump’s repeated interest in acquiring Greenland has put it firmly in the spotlight and fuelled the longstanding debate on the island’s future ties with Copenhagen.

“There’s never been a spotlight like this on Greenland before,” says Nauja Bianco, a Danish-Greenlandic policy expert on the Arctic.

Greenland has been controlled by Denmark – nearly 3,000km (1,860 miles) away – for about 300 years. It governs its own domestic affairs, but decisions on foreign and defence policy are made in Copenhagen.

Now, five out of six parties on the ballot favour Greenland’s independence from Denmark, differing only on how quickly that should come about.

The debate over independence has been “put on steroids by Trump”, says Masaana Egede, editor of Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq.

The island’s strategic location and untapped mineral resources have caught the US president’s eye. He first floated the idea of buying Greenland back during his first term in 2019.

Since taking office again in January, he has reiterated his intention to acquire the territory. Greenland and Denmark’s leaders have repeatedly rebuffed his demands.

Addressing the US Congress last week, however, Trump again doubled down. “We need Greenland for national security. One way or the other we’re gonna get it,” he said, prompting applause and laughter from a number of politicians, including Vice-President JD Vance.

In Nuuk, his words struck a nerve with politicians who were quick to condemn them. “We deserve to be treated with respect and I don’t think the American president has done that lately since he took office,” Prime Minister Mute Egede said.

Still, the US interest has stoked calls for Greenland to break away from Denmark, with much of the debate focused on when – not if – the process of independence should begin.

Greenland’s independence goal is not new, Nauja Bianco points out, and has been decades in the making.

A string of revelations about past mistreatment of Inuit people by the Danes have hurt Greenlandic public opinion about Denmark. Earlier this year, PM Egede said the territory should free itself from “the shackles of colonialism”.

But it is the first time the subject has taken centre stage in an election.

Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), the party of Prime Minister Mute Egede, favours gradual steps towards autonomy. “Citizens must feel secure,” he told local media.

Arctic expert Martin Breum says Egede’s handling of the challenge from Trump and strong words against Denmark over past colonial wrongdoings “will give him a lot of votes”.

Smaller rivals could also gain ground and potentially shake up alliances.

Opposition party Naleraq wants to immediately kick-off divorce proceedings from Copenhagen and have closer defence dealings with Washington.

Pointing to Greenland’s EU departure and Brexit, party leader Pele Broberg has said that Greenland could be “out of the Danish kingdom in three years”.

Naleraq is fielding the largest number of candidates and has gained momentum by riding the wave of discontent with Denmark.

“Naleraq will also be a larger factor too in parliament,” predicts Mr Breum, who says party candidates have performed well on TV and on social media.

However, the centre-right Demokraatit party believes it is too soon to push for independence.

“The economy will have to be much stronger than it is today,” party candidate Justus Hansen told Reuters.

Greenland’s economy is driven by fishing, and government spending relies on annual subsidies from Denmark.

“I think we’re going to have it,” he told reporters on Air Force One on Saturday, adding that the island’s 57,000 residents “want to be with us”.

His comments come after reports that Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen insisted Greenland was not for sale in a fiery phone call with the president last week.

Trump floated the prospect of buying the vast Arctic territory during his first term in 2019, and has said US control of Greenland is an “absolute necessity” for international security.

“I think the people want to be with us,” Trump said when asked about the island in the press room on board the presidential plane.

“I don’t really know what claim Denmark has to it, but it would be a very unfriendly act if they didn’t allow that to happen because it’s for the protection of the free world,” he added.

“I think Greenland we’ll get because it has to do with freedom of the world,” Trump continued.

“It has nothing to do with the United States other than that we’re the one that can provide the freedom. They can’t.”

Despite Trump’s apparent confidence, the prime ministers of Greenland and Denmark have both previously said the island was not for sale.

Greenland’s PM Mute Egede said use of the territory’s land was “Greenland’s business”, though he did express a willingness to work more closely with the US on defence and mining.

Meanwhile, Danish premiere Frederiksen said earlier this month that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders”, and only the local population could determine its future.

Frederiksen reasserted her position in a heated 45-minute phone exchange with Trump last week, according to a report in the Financial Times.

The newspaper quoted an anonymous European official as saying the conversation was “horrendous”, and another saying Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland was is “serious, and potentially very dangerous”.

The Danish prime minister reportedly insisted the island was not for sale, but noted the US’s “big interest” in it.

Greenland lies on the shortest route from North America to Europe, making it strategically important for the US. It is also home to a large American space facility.

In recent years, there has been increased interest in Greenland’s natural resources, including mining for rare earth minerals, uranium and iron.

Though the island has wide-ranging autonomy, it remains part of the kingdom of Demark.

But there is a general consensus in Greenland that it will eventually become independent, which could pave the way for a new kind of relationship with the US.

President Trump’s claim that the people of Greenland “want to be with us” may come as a surprise to some of the island’s residents.

A fishing boat captain in the Kapisillit settlement told the BBC Trump was “welcome to visit” the island, but that “Greenland belongs to Greenlanders”.

And local church elder Kaaleeraq Ringsted said Trump’s language was “not acceptable”, adding “Greenland is not for sale”.

There are several ways Trump could pursue his desire to take over the territory. Asked earlier in January whether he could rule out using military or economic force, Trump said he could not.

His recent comments have sent shockwaves through the Danish political establishment, sparking hastily organised high-level meetings in Copenhagen earlier this month.

The US president-elect sparked turmoil in Copenhagen and Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, last week when he signalled that the US wanted to acquire the huge arctic island, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.

In a 45-minute phone call on Wednesday, Frederiksen told Trump that Denmark was prepared to increase its responsibility for security in the Arctic.

She also reiterated the statements of the Greenland PM, Mute Egede, who recently said that Greenland was not for sale.

Trump did not react to the call publicly. However, he reposted on his TruthSocial account a 2019 poll that indicated 68% of Greenlanders supported independence from Denmark.

A referendum on independence is thought to be on the cards and Denmark has said it would respect any result.

When he was last president, Trump said he wanted to buy Greenland. When Frederiksen called the proposal “absurd”, he abruptly cancelled a trip to Denmark.

The Danish government said that in her phone call with Trump, Frederiksen also emphasised that “Danish companies contribute to growth and jobs in the US, and that the EU and the US have a common interest in strengthened trade.”

Last week, Trump threatened Denmark with high tariffs if the country did not give up Greenland.

The suggestion set off alarm bells among Danish industry leaders, as the US is Denmark’s second largest export market and any targeted tariffs would have a significant impact on the Danish economy.

On Thursday, Frederiksen will hold what Danish media dubbed a “crisis meeting” with business leaders, including the CEOs of beer giant Carlsberg and drugmaker Novo Nordisk, which produces obesity and diabetes drugs popular in the US.

She is also due to host an extraordinary Foreign Policy Council meeting with members from across parliament.

Greenlandic member of parliament Aaja Chemnitz said she was satisfied with Frederiksen’s line that any decision about Greenland should be taken by Greenlanders.

“I have great confidence in the prime minister’s task, and I also have great confidence in Egede. I think it is important that they have a close dialogue,” she said.

Earlier this week, Egede said his government was ready to start a dialogue with the incoming Trump administration.

But opposition MP Rasmus Jarlov said that he disapproved of Frederiksen’s approach.

Writing on X, he said: “It is completely unacceptable that [Frederiksen] renounces Denmark’s rights in Greenland and places sovereignty solely with the [Greenlander] self-government when she talks to the President of the United States.”

Trump’s comments and his son’s visit to Greenland last week sparked huge concern in Denmark. Faced with the prospect of angering what she repeatedly called “Denmark’s closest ally”, Frederiksen measured her words while emphasising Greenland’s right to self-determination.

Hans Redder, TV2’s political editor, said the fact that Trump had set aside 45 minutes for a phone call with Frederiksen indicated that “this Greenland thing is really something that is on Trump’s mind – it’s not just a passing thought”.

Mute Egede said his government was looking for ways to work with President-elect Donald Trump, who has in recent weeks shown renewed interest in taking control of the territory – without ruling out using military or economic force to do so.

Also on Monday, Denmark’s foreign minister said it was ready to work with Greenland to “continue talks” with Trump “to ensure legitimate American interests” in the Arctic.

Greenland, a largely autonomous Danish territory, lies on the shortest route from North America to Europe, making it strategically important for the US.

It is also home to a large American space facility and has some of the largest deposits of rare earth minerals, which are crucial in the manufacture of batteries and high-tech devices.

Trump tried to buy Greenland during his first term in 2019, and has placed the issue back on his agenda as his second term approaches – calling it an “absolute necessity” for both American and international security.

Prime Minister Egede previously said Greenland was not and would not be “for sale,” while emphasising the importance of staying open to “co-operation and trade with the whole world”.

On Monday, he told a press conference in Copenhagen that his government was ready to start a dialogue with the incoming Trump administration.

But he added that the use of the territory’s land was “Greenland’s business”.

“It is… Greenland that will decide what agreement we should come to.”

Meanwhile, Denmark’s foreign minister also addressed Trump’s renewed interest in Greenland during a press conference in Jerusalem.

“I don’t want to get into any dispute with the incoming president Trump,” Lars Lokke Rasmussen said.

“He has a certain specific way to formulate requests, and what we are doing right now is getting into a more detailed dialogue with the incoming president.”

“We agree that the Americans have certain concerns about the security situation in the Arctic, which we share,” he said.

Rasmussen said Denmark, in close cooperation with Greenland, was ready to continue talks with Trump to ensure “legitimate American interests”.

Trump has also expressed his desire to acquire the Panama Canal, and vowed to use “economic force” to absorb Canada into the US.

Prime Minister Mute Egede, who had insisted the territory was “not for sale” after Trump flagged his “ownership and control” intentions last month, expressed his openness to engage with the United States at a news conference in Copenhagen on Friday.

However , he also underlined Greenland’s independence aspirations, which have gained momentum in recent years as Danish colonial abuses against the predominantly Inuit population have come to light.

“Greenland is for the Greenlandic people. We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic,” he said at a news conference alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

“We have a desire for independence, a desire to be the master of our own house … This is something everyone should respect,” said Egede.

“But that doesn’t mean we are cutting all ties, all cooperation and all relations with Denmark,” he added.

He also noted that Greenland is part of the North American continent, and “a place that the Americans see as part of their world”. He said he was open to holding talks with Trump about what “unites us”.

“Cooperation is about dialogue. Cooperation means that you will work towards solutions,” he said.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who also attended the news conference, said, “The debate on Greenlandic independence and the latest announcements from the US show us the large interest in Greenland. Events which set in motion a lot of thoughts and feelings with many in Greenland and Denmark.

“The US is our closest ally, and we will do everything to continue a strong cooperation,” she said.

Trump  earlier this week refused to rule out using military or economic force in order to bring Greenland under US control. Trump said last month that “ownership and control” of Greenland was an “absolute necessity” for the US, as it seeks to counter growing Russian and Chinese interest in the Arctic region.

Trump had previously floated buying Greenland during his first term as president from 2017 to 2021, even postponing a 2019 visit to Denmark after Frederiksen rebuffed the idea.

A “private” visit to the territory this week by his son, Donald Trump Jr, sparked further speculation that the president-elect would make a push to buy Greenland when he takes office on January 20.

The US maintains a military base in the northern part of the strategically important territory, home to 57,000 people.

Greenland  was a Danish colony from 1721 until 1953 but is now a self-governing Danish territory. In 2009, it secured the right to claim independence through a vote.

It was “only natural” that the US was preoccupied by the Arctic and Greenland, she added.Yet she also said that any decision on Greenland’s future should be up to its people alone: “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders… and it’s the Greenlanders themselves who have to define their future.”Her cautious approach is twofold.On the one hand, Frederiksen is keen to avoid escalating the situation. She’s been burned before, in 2019, when Trump cancelled a trip to Denmark after she said his proposal to buy Greenland was “absurd”.”Back then he only had one more year in office, then things went back to normal,” veteran political journalist Erik Holstein told the BBC . “But maybe this is the new normal.”But Frederiksen’s comments also speak to the Danish resolve not to meddle in the internal affairs of Greenland – an autonomous territory with its own parliament and whose population is increasingly leaning towards independence.”She should’ve been much clearer in rejecting the idea,” said opposition MP Rasmus Jarlov.”This level of disrespect from the coming US president towards very, very loyal allies and friends is record-setting,” he told the BBC, although he admitted Trump’s forcefulness had “surprised everybody.”The conservative MP believed Frederiksen’s insistence that “only Greenland… can decide and define Greenland’s future” placed too much pressure on the island’s inhabitants. “It would’ve been prudent and clever to stand behind Greenland and just clearly state that Denmark doesn’t want [a US takeover].”

The Greenland question is a delicate one for Denmark, whose prime minister officially apologised only recently for spearheading a 1950s social experiment which saw Inuit children removed from their families to be re-educated as “model Danes”.Last week, Greenland’s leader said the territory should free itself from “the shackles of colonialism.”By doing so he tapped into growing nationalist sentiment, fuelled by interest among Greenland’s younger generations in the indigenous culture and history of the Inuit.Most commentators now expect a successful independence referendum in the near future. While for many it would be seen as a victory, it could also usher in a new set of problems, as 60% of Greenland’s economy is dependent on Denmark.An independent Greenland “would need to make choices,” said Karsten Honge. The Social Democrat MP now fears his preferred option of a new Commonwealth-style pact “based on equality and democracy” is unlikely to come about.

Sitting in his parliamentary office decorated with poems and drawings depicting scenes of Inuit life, Honge said Greenland would need to decide “how much it values independence”. It could sever ties with Denmark and turn to the US, Honge said, “but if you treasure independence then that doesn’t make sense.”Opposition MP Jarlov argues that while there is no point in forcing Greenland to be part of Denmark, “it is very close to being an independent country already”.Its capital Nuuk is self-governed, but relies on Copenhagen for management of currency, foreign relations and defence – as well as substantial subsidies.”Greenland today has more independence than Denmark has from the EU,” Jarlov added. “So I hope they think things through.”As Mette Frederiksen has the awkward task of responding firmly while not offending Greenland or the US, the staunchest rebuttal to Trump’s comments so far has come from outside Denmark.The principle of the inviolability of borders “applies to every country… no matter whether it’s a very small one or a very powerful one,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned, while French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the EU would not let other nations “attack its sovereign borders”.

Their comments gave away the deep concern within the EU about how to handle the upcoming Trump presidency. “This is not just very serious for Greenland and Denmark – it is serious to the whole world and to Europe as a whole,” MP Karsten Honge said.”Imagine a world – which we may be facing in just a few weeks – where international agreements don’t exist. That would shake everything up, and Denmark would just be a small part of it.”The Danish trade sector has similarly been engulfed by deep nervousness after Trump said he would “tariff Denmark at a very high level” if it refused to give up Greenland to the US.A 2024 Danish Industry study showed that Denmark’s GDP would fall by three points if the US imposed 10% tariffs on imports from the EU to the US as part of a global trade war.Singling out Danish products from the influx of EU goods would be near-impossible for the US, and would almost certainly result in retaliatory measures from the EU. But trade industry professionals are taking few chances, and in Denmark as elsewhere on the continent huge amounts of resources are being spent internally to plan for potential outcomes of Donald Trump’s second term in the White House.As his inauguration approaches, Danes are preparing as they can to weather the storm. There is guarded hope that the president-elect could soon shift his focus to grievances towards other EU partners, and that the Greenland question could be temporarily shelved.But the disquiet brought on by Trump’s refusal to rule out military intervention to seize Greenland remains.Karsten Honge said Denmark would have suffer whatever decision the US takes.”They just need to send a small battleship to travel down the Greenland coast and send a polite letter to Denmark,” he said, only partly in jest.”The last sentence would be: well, Denmark, what you gonna do about it?”That’s the new reality with regards to Trump.”

The Arctic territory is controlled by Denmark but is also home to a US military base and also has oil drilling and mineral mining potential.

Trump has refused to rule out using military or economic force to take over the territory in recent days and has repeatedly raised the issue since his first term as president.

Lammy told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Trump’s words did not always match his actions.

The latest row erupted after the president-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr, visited Greenland’s capital, Nuuk.

In response, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish TV that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders” and that only the local population could determine its future.

Greenland is an autonomous territory, with its own prime minister, but foreign policy is decided in cooperation with Denmark as it remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

The King of Denmark also changed the royal coat of arms to more prominently feature Greenland this week, in what has been interpreted by some as a rebuke to Trump.

Germany and France have also weighed in to the row with strong statements in support of the sovereign borders of their fellow European Union and Nato member Denmark.

Asked whether the US should be allowed to buy Greenland, Mr Lammy said: “I think that we know from Donald Trump’s first term is that the intensity of his rhetoric and the unpredictability sometimes of what he said can be destabilising.

“He did it with Nato. But in fact, in practice, he sent more troops to Europe under his administration.

“Lammy went on to say he was “sure” Trump recognises Greenland as a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, adding “I suspect on Greenland what he’s targeting is his concerns about Russia and China in the Arctic, his concerns about national economic security”.

Asked how the UK would respond if the United States attempted to take Greenland by force, the foreign secretary said “It’s not going to happen. No NATO allies have gone to war”.

Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to dampen concern about the president-elect’s remarks during a visit to Paris: “The idea is… obviously not a good one, but maybe more important, it’s obviously one that’s not going to happen.”About 56,000 people live in Greenland, and it is home to US as well as Danish military bases. It also has considerable untapped mineral and oil wealth.Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede has been pushing for independence, although the territory’s economy relies heavily on Danish subsidies.Both he and the Danish leader have emphasised that it is “not for sale” and that its future is in the hands of Greenlanders themselves.UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy played down Trump’s comments, although he acknowledged the “intensity of his rhetoric and the unpredictability sometimes of what he said can be destabilising”.Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said Copenhagen has a clear interest in ensuring that the US – “absolutely its closest ally” – plays a key role at a time of rising tensions in the North Atlantic, particularly involving Russia.The European Commission said Trump’s threat to Greenland was “extremely theoretical” and “wildly hypothetical”, considering he was not yet in office.However, it has confirmed that Greenland, as an overseas territory, does come under a mutual assistance clause requiring all EU states to come to its aid in case of attack.

The Kremlin ridiculed the European response, suggesting it was reacting “very timidly… almost in a whisper”.Last week, Greenland’s leader said the territory should free itself from “the shackles of colonialism”, although he made no mention of the US.A former Greenland foreign minister, Pele Broberg, who now heads the biggest opposition party, told the BBC that most Greenlanders he talked to believed the US was vital for their defence and safety.”We are part of the North American continent, that’s why the defence of the US is in such a great place with regards to Greenland, because we create a buffer zone that doesn’t need to be militarised.”He has called for a “free association agreement” with the US covering trade and defence which would give Greenland independence but hand the US responsibility for security.Trump’s allies have reinforced his views on Greenland.Keith Kellogg, chosen by Trump to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, said a lot of the president-elect’s remarks on Greenland made sense, “putting the United States in a position of global leadership”.Republican congressman Mike Walz told Fox News that the issue was “not just about Greenland, this is about the Arctic”, because Russia was trying to take control of the polar region, with its mineral and natural resources.”Denmark can be a great ally, but you can’t treat Greenland, which they have operational control over, as some kind of backwater – it’s in the Western hemisphere.”