Greenland’s prime minister has reiterated his call for independence from Denmark after Donald Trump suggested the US could acquire the Arctic territory.
“It is about time that we ourselves take a step and shape our future, also with regard to who we will cooperate closely with, and who our trading partners will be,” Mute Egede said in his new year’s speech.
Copenhagen announced in December it would boost defence spending in Greenland, the world’s largest island, by €1.3 billion (£1.04 billion) – just hours after Mr Trump said that Washington establishing “ownership and control” of the territory was an “absolute necessity”.
Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953, when it was redefined as a district of Denmark, and established an independent parliament in 1979. However, Copenhagen continues to enact control over its foreign and defence policy.
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Calls for independence in Greenland have grown in recent decades, partly due to revelations of misconduct by Danish authorities during the 20th century, including an involuntary birth control campaign launched in the 1960s.
In 2023, Greenland’s government presented its first draft constitution, with Mr Egede saying work had “already begun” to create the conditions for an independent Greenland.
“It is now time for our country to take the next step. Like other countries in the world, we must work to remove the obstacles to cooperation – which we can describe as the shackles of colonialism – and move forward,” he said.
The prime minister added that it was up to the 57,000 people of Greenland to decide on independence but did not specify when a referendum could be held.
Greenland’s government has twice rejected offers by Mr Trump to purchase the island, in 2019 and again last month when Mr Trump said the US needed to buy Greenland “for the purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world”.
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Mr Egede insisted at the time Greenland was not for sale. “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom,” he said.
He did not specifically reference Mr Trump or his comments in his latest speech.
Greenland, a mineral-rich Arctic territory, is considered to hold vital strategic value for Washington given that it hosts a US military base. Greenland’s capital Nuuk is also closer to New York than the Danish capital Copenhagen.
Despite its natural resources, Greenland’s economy remains fragile, heavily dependent on fishing and annual grants from Denmark.
The country is due to hold parliamentary elections before April 6.
Mr Trump in December also threatened to retake control of the Panama Canal and suggested Canada could become the 51st US state, mocking the country’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, by calling him a “governor”.
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