Greenland leader to meet Danish king amid Trump bid to take over territory

COPENHAGEN — Greenland's leader was expected to hold talks on Wednesday with the Danish king in Copenhagen, after US President-elect Donald Trump said he wanted to take control of the vast Arctic island, an autonomous territory of Denmark.

Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, said on Tuesday he would not rule out using military or economic action to make Greenland part of the United States. The same day, Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., made a private visit to Greenland.

Trump's comments prompted France's foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, to say on Wednesday that the European Union would not let other nations attack its sovereign borders. Barrot added he did not believe the US would invade Greenland, which has been part of Denmark for over 600 years.

A German government spokesman said Germany stands by the international principle that borders not be changed by force.

NATO did not respond on Wednesday to a request for comments on Trump's remarks. Denmark is a member of the US-led military alliance and also of the EU. Greenland, which has just 57,000 people but is more than 2 million square km in size, is not part of the EU but it is of NATO through its links with Denmark.

Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede, leader of a left-wing political party that supports future independence from Denmark, was due to meet King Frederik in Copenhagen later on Wednesday. The royal court gave no details on their planned meeting.

While many Greenlanders dream of independence from their former colonial ruler, the king still enjoys a large measure of popularity, having spent extended periods of time in Greenland, including a four-month expedition on the ice sheet.

"I'm sure the king is really the person best placed in Denmark to deal with this issue right now because he has a long history with Greenland," Damien Degeorges, a Reykjavik-based consultant specializing in Greenland, told Reuters.

"He's popular in Greenland. So he can clearly be helpful to the Danish-Greenlandic relationship."

The royal court recently tweaked the coat of arms to more prominently display symbols of Greenland and the Faroe Islands, a move widely interpreted as underlining the royal family's relationship with Greenland.

Semi-sovereign

Greenland now controls most of its own domestic affairs as a semi-sovereign territory under the Danish realm. Its relations with Denmark have lately been strained by allegations of colonial-era mistreatment of Greenlanders.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday she could not imagine Trump's ambitions would lead to US military intervention in Greenland.

Denmark is responsible for the security and defense of Greenland, but its military capabilities there are limited to four inspection vessels, a Challenger surveillance plane, and dog sled patrols.

Responding to Trump's threat of tariffs against Denmark, Frederiksen said she did not think a trade war with the United States was a good way forward. Denmark is home to Novo Nordisk, Europe's most valuable company, which makes weight-loss drug Wegovy that has become hugely popular in the United States.

Still, Trump's openly stated ambition to expand US control of territory has jolted allies less than two weeks before he takes power.

Greenland's Egede has said the island is not for sale, while in his New Year speech he stepped up his push for independence. Denmark also says the territory is not for sale, and that its fate can be decided only by Greenlanders.

Trump already raised the issue of the US taking over Greenland in 2019 during his first presidency, but his latest remarks still left many Danes baffled.

"I find it extremely ridiculous," said Jeppe Finne Sorenson, a data engineer in the Danish capital. "We have an alliance, we're allies. So this doesn't really respect that." — Reuters