Greenland's leadership has expressed that the autonomous island will not be bought after President-elect Donald Trump expressed an interest in controlling the territory.
"Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom," Prime Minister Múte Egede said in a statement on Monday.
Greenland's PM Mute Egede:
— Globe Eye News (@GlobeEyeNews) December 23, 2024
Greenland is not for sale. pic.twitter.com/7RrEL71eYD
On Sunday, Trump took to his social media app, Truth Social, to announce PayPal co-founder Ken Howery as his pick for US Ambassador to Denmark. In the post, he expresses the importance of American control over the territory of Greenland, reported the BBC.
"For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity," the President-elect wrote. "Ken will do a wonderful job in representing the interests of the United States."
Howery responded to his own nomination by stating he was "deeply humbled," and that he hoped working with the U.S. embassy in Copenhagen and the U.S. consulate in Greenland would "deepen the bonds between our countries".
While the island of Greenland is technically owned by Denmark, it operates autonomously under its own government.
"We must not lose our long struggle for freedom," Egede continued in his statement. "However, we must continue to be open to cooperation and trade with the whole world, especially with our neighbors."
Trump previously expressed an interest in controlling the autonomous territory in the past, even attempting to use the U.S.' positive relations with Denmark to achieve this goal.
"Denmark essentially owns it. We're very good allies with Denmark. We protect Denmark like we protect large portions of the world," Trump said in 2019.
"Strategically, it's interesting, and we'd be interested, but we'll talk to them a little bit. It's not number one on the burner," he continued.
This provoked a response from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who called the idea "absurd".
"Greenland is not Danish. Greenland is Greenlandic. I persistently hope that this is not something that is seriously meant," Frederiksen said.
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