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Greenland Reacts to Trump’s Declaration of US Control over Island “One Way or the Other”

March 5, 2025 TruthUSA

The island plays a crucial role in strengthening America’s security in the Arctic region amidst threats from Russia and China.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede dismissed the idea of an American takeover of the island after President Donald Trump suggested that Greenland would eventually be under the governance of the United States.

“We don’t want to be Americans, nor Danes; We are Kalaallit. The Americans and their leader must understand that. We are not for sale and cannot simply be taken. Our future will be decided by us in Greenland,” Egede said in a March 5 Facebook post. Kalaallit refers to the Inuit people in Greenland who form the island’s majority population.

During his March 4 address to the joint session of Congress, Trump mentioned that he strongly supported Greenlanders’ right to determine their future, including the option to join the United States.

The president stated that acquiring Greenland would enhance the security of the United States and the world at large. “We’re working with everybody involved to try and get it, but we need it really for international world security,” Trump said. “And I think we’re going to get it one way or the other.”

He assured the people of the island that America “will keep you safe, we will make you rich, and together, we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before.”

Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory, with its foreign affairs and defense controlled by Denmark and domestic matters handled by the islanders. Trump had previously made an offer to Denmark to purchase Greenland, which was rejected.

Given its proximity to the Arctic, Greenland is crucial in monitoring security in the North Pole region.

Greenland’s security importance is heightened by the Arctic being the shortest path between America and Russia for intercontinental missiles. China is actively engaging in military and commercial activities in the Arctic.

These factors make it imperative for the United States to ensure that Greenland remains free from the influence of adversaries.

The island is scheduled to have elections on March 11, with the previous election held in 2021. Greenland is estimated to have over 41,000 voters, with a total population of just under 56,000.

The Greenlandic government is currently in a caretaker period leading up to the election. The campaign primarily focuses on the island’s independence aspirations in light of Trump’s interest.

Denmark’s foreign minister mentioned earlier on Wednesday that it was significant that Trump had acknowledged Greenland’s right to self-determination in his speech to Congress.

Greenland Importance

The efforts to secure Greenland come amid concerns that as the island moves towards independence, the influence of the United States could diminish.

“The U.S. and Denmark have had a long-standing partnership, and it’s worked really well,” Michael Walsh, a U.S. foreign policy expert, told The Epoch Times in a previous interview. “I think that the concern is that they might not be the partner of the United States in Greenland or the Faroe Islands in the future, if they become independent.”

Greenland is home to a U.S. military base equipped with space surveillance and missile warning systems.

During Trump’s first term in office, the administration sought to strengthen ties with Greenland to counter Chinese and Russian Arctic activities.

The island also boasts extensive natural resources, with the Arctic region estimated to hold almost 1,669 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 90 billion barrels of oil, constituting 22 percent of the world’s undiscovered conventional oil and gas.

The polar region is rich in minerals such as gold, nickel, copper, silver, and rare earth elements.

“Greenland is important because the Arctic has become important,” Gordon Chang, political commentator and China expert, told The Epoch Times.

During the Cold War, the region was vital due to sea lines in the Atlantic Ocean. However, this significance decreased after the Cold War era, he noted.

Although Greenland has rejected being taken over by the United States, the island has expressed interest in enhancing ties with Washington, including economic cooperation.

According to a Feb. 26 post by think tank Geopolitical Intelligence Services, the “most likely scenario is that the U.S. and Greenland will reach a mutually agreeable outcome, which would gain approval from the U.S. Congress.”

“It is unlikely that the Greenland situation will create a significant divide within NATO. Its member states recognize the importance of having the U.S. as the primary security guarantor.”

Emel Akan and Reuters contributed to the report.

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