Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has reacted to United States President Donald Trump’s calls that the Danish territory should become part of the U.S.
United States’ military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears for Greenland, which Trump has repeatedly said he wants to annex, given its strategic location in the Arctic.
While aboard Air Force One en route to Washington on Sunday, January 4, 2026, Trump reiterated the goal.
He said: “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.
“We’ll worry about Greenland in about two months; let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days.”
Reacting via a post on Facebook, Nielsen issued a warning, saying: “That’s enough now.
“No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation.
“We are open to dialogue. We are open to discussions. But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law.”
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Expressing its “solidarity” with Denmark on Monday, France’s foreign ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux told television channel TF1 that “borders cannot be changed by force”.
Trump rattled European leaders by attacking Caracas and grabbing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is now being detained in New York.
He 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.
The president said: “They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know.
“But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence.”
The president had, last month, claimed Russian and Chinese ships were “all over” the territory’s coast.
China’s foreign ministry hit back on Monday urging “the US to stop using the so-called China threat as an excuse to seek personal gain.”
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