The incoming American president has shown interest in annexing the Danish overseas territory
Denmark has privately reached out to President-elect Donald Trump’s team, showing readiness to discuss the boosting of US military presence in Greenland, Axios reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Trump has ruffled some feathers in Copenhagen when he repeatedly suggested that the US should acquire the self-governing Arctic island from Denmark. He refused to rule out the use of force, but offered little specifics on how his government would convince Denmark to relinquish control over Greenland.
Copenhagen is interested in avoiding a public clash with Trump, and has reached out to the incoming president’s team for clarification of his statements, the outlet said.
The Danish government made it clear that Greenland is not for sale, but also conveyed its willingness “to discuss any other US request regarding the island,” Axios said.
American forces have been stationed on the island since World War II. The US maintains a military base on Greenland, and has a defense agreement with Denmark, under which it can build additional military sites.
Greenland played an important military role during the Cold War, hosting US ballistic missile early-warning infrastructure.
Trump, who takes office on January 20, has said that the ownership of the island is an “absolute necessity” for American national security.
Both Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s pro-independence leader, Mute Egede, have ruled out selling the overseas territory to Trump. Earlier this week, Frederiksen said that she had pitched negotiations to Trump’s team, reaffirming that Copenhagen and Washington share the goal of “strengthening the security of the Western alliance.”
Egede has stated that he is also ready to talk to the US president-elect. The island’s prime minister reaffirmed his committment to independence at a joint press conference with Frederiksen on Friday.
“Greenland is for the Greenlandic people. We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American,” he said. He added that Greenland will continue to work with the US.