‘That’s enough,’ Greenland’s PM tells Trump after renewed threats to annex Danish territory

By Rédaction Africanews and AP

The US intervention into Venezuela has again raised fears over Washington’s stated intention to seize the Danish territory of Greenland. Greenland’s Prime Minister has called for an end to the threats.

Greenland’s Prime Minister has reacted to the United States’ repeated calls to seize the territory with a clear message: “That’s enough now. No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation,” Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Facebook.

“We are open to dialogue. We are open to discussions,” Nielsen wrote. “But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law.”

On Sunday, President Trump told reporters on Air Force One that the US needs Greenland for its national security.

“It’s so strategic. Right now Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security and Denmark is not going to be able to do it, I can tell you.”

Washington’s military intervention into Venezuela has reignited fears for Greenland and on Monday brought international condemnation from France, which warned that “borders cannot be changed by force.” Finland, Sweden and Norway issued similar statements.

Beijing also hit back on Monday telling “the US to stop using the so-called China threat as an excuse to seek personal gain.”

Trump rattled world leaders by attacking Caracas and grabbing Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, who is now being detained in New York.

Trump has said the United States will now “run” Venezuela indefinitely and tap its huge oil reserves.

Asked in a telephone interview with The Atlantic about the implications of the Venezuela military operation for mineral-rich Greenland, Trump said it was up to others to decide.

“They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know,” Trump was quoted as saying.

He added: “But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence.”

‘Disrespectful’

Former Trump aide Katie Miller, who is also the wife of the president’s most influential adviser, also drew ire by posting an image of Greenland in the colours of the US flag, captioning it “SOON”.

Greenland’s Nielsen called Miller’s post “disrespectful”, writing on X that “our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts”.

Over the weekend, the Danish prime minister also called on Washington to stop “threatening its historical ally”.

“It is absolutely absurd to say that the United States should take control of Greenland,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement, also noting that Denmark, “and thus Greenland”, was a NATO member protected by the agreement’s security guarantees.

Stephen Miller is widely seen as the architect of much of Trump’s policies, guiding the president on his hardline immigration policies and domestic agenda.

Denmark’s ambassador to the United States, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, offered a pointed “friendly reminder” in response to Katie Miller’s post that his country has “significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts” and worked together with Washington on that.

“We are close allies and should continue to work together as such,” Soerensen wrote.

Katie Miller was deputy press secretary under Trump at the Department of Homeland Security during his first term.

She later worked as communications director for then-vice president Mike Pence and also acted as his press secretary.