Greenland says it’s ready to cooperate with Trump

COPENHAGEN, Denmark

Greenland’s prime minister said Monday that his country is ready to increase cooperation with the US under the leadership of President-elect Donald Trump, local broadcaster KNR reported.

“We have the doors open in relation to mining. This will also be the case in the coming years. We have to trade with the US,” said Mute B. Egede.

"We have begun to start a dialogue and look for opportunities for cooperation with Trump," he added.

Egede acknowledged that countries will try to engage with Greenland in the coming years due to its important geo-strategic position.

"It is important that there is no military conflict. It was worrying when you heard it for the first time. But the vice president stated yesterday that there is no interest in using weapons,” he said, referring to US Vice President-elect JD Vance, who dismissed the use of military force and highlighted Greenland's strategic importance and rich resources while speaking to Fox News on Sunday.

“Greenland has a central position in the Arctic, and that great powers such as the United States, Russia and China will try to get their foot in the door,” Egede added.

He called for broader cooperation amid tensions on the global stage.

“Greenland is not completely free from the tensions that exist in the world. And right now, Greenland stands between two large, Arctic great nations. We can see this as a threat, but we can also see it as an opportunity for broader cooperation,” he added.

Recently, Denmark proposed that Trump boost security in Greenland, including increasing the US military presence on the island, in private messages to his team, the American news website Axios reported Saturday.

The Danish government wants to dissuade Trump from seizing the island by addressing his security concerns as the Nordic country, an ally of Washington both in NATO and in the European Union, avoids a political clash with the US, according to the report.

In a post on his Truth Social platform in December, Trump, who will take office on Jan. 20, described the ownership and control of Greenland as an “absolute necessity” for the US, reiterating his desire to make the island nation part of the US.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Friday that she is seeking talks with Trump regarding his remarks about Greenland, adding she does not believe the president-elect would attempt to seize the Arctic country by force.

Greenland, the world’s largest island, has been an autonomous territory of Denmark since 1979. Located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, it is home to a US military base and holds strategic importance, as it offers the shortest route from North America to Europe.