‘Not for sale’: Greenland premier tells US envoy

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has told US special envoy Jeff Landry that Greenland is “not for sale”.

Landry, who was appointed by President Donald Trump last year to spearhead the purchase of the island, met Nielsen and Greenland’s Foreign Minister, Mute Egede, in the capital Nuuk to discuss the future of the territory.

Trump has threatened to take over the autonomous territory of Denmark – which is a NATO ally – possibly by military force, insisting it is vital to US security to gain control.

Nielsen said that while the meeting was “constructive” there was “no sign…that anything had changed” regarding the US position, according to the AFP news agency.

“The Greenlandic people are not for sale. Greenlandic self-determination is not something that can be negotiated,” Nielsen was quoted by Danish TV 2 as saying after the meeting. Landry did not immediately comment.

Greenland is “focused on finding a solution that is good for us all” and to deter threats of “annexation, takeover or purchase” of the country, Nielsen continued.

Trump has long said the US needs to take over Greenland to prevent Russia or China from occupying the island, and has accused Danish authorities of failing to adequately ensure its security. That stance has sparked unrest within NATO, with numerous European members of the military alliance objecting to the threats.

According to the Danish public broadcaster, Landry said on his arrival that Trump had told him to “go over there and make as many friends as we can get”.

“They asked for a meeting, and we’ve explained our situation and standpoint, and that we have some red lines – we will not sell Greenland, we will own Greenland for all time,” Egede said.

The foreign minister added that a group of experts from the US, Greenland and Denmark are trying to find a solution to the situation, adding that the group’s work seems “promising”.

Trump has said that control of Greenland is important, so the island can be part of his Golden Dome defence system against nuclear attack.