A significant majority of Greenlanders have expressed opposition to the idea of the United States purchasing their territory, according to a recent opinion poll. The survey, which was the first conducted since President Donald Trump renewed interest in acquiring the Arctic island, revealed that 85% of participants prefer to remain part of the Kingdom of Denmark rather than join the US. Only 6% of respondents indicated they wished to become part of the US, while 9% were undecided.
The poll comprised 497 individuals and was carried out online over the past week by the research firm Verian. Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Denmark’s foreign minister, emphasized, “Trump shouldn’t have Greenland. Greenland is Greenland.”
Trump’s ambitions regarding Greenland, including his hints at using military pressure or tariffs against Denmark, have placed the island and its population of 57,000 at the center of international attention. Múte Egede, Greenland’s prime minister, reiterated that the island is not for sale, stating, “We don’t want to be Danish, we don’t want to be American — we want to be Greenlandic.”
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen recently visited European leaders, including Germany’s Olaf Scholz and France’s Emmanuel Macron, but none publicly discussed Trump’s threats regarding Greenland, as per Danish requests to avoid further provocation. At the conclusion of her trip, Frederiksen stated there is substantial support for Denmark in this matter.
Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s foreign minister, noted discussions about potential military support for Greenland, but clarified it is not Denmark’s current desire. Recent reports suggested that Trump had been assertive during a phone call with Frederiksen, insisting that the US still had interest in Greenland.
The US president was quoted as saying that America would “get” Greenland, and claimed that the Greenlanders wanted to affiliate with the US. In response to concerns about security, Denmark and Greenland announced a significant increase in military funding for the Arctic, which includes the acquisition of three new ships and two drones.
Vivian Motzfeldt, Greenland’s foreign minister, stressed the importance of the country being self-sufficient, stating, “What we need to do is we need to ensure a tomorrow for us in this country.” In response to the planned military enhancements, Trump critiqued the measures, implying they lacked seriousness, and noted that the existing protections provided by a US military base in northern Greenland were central to its security.
photo credit: www.ft.com
