Greenland’s party leaders have rejected President Trump’s repeated calls for the US to take control of the island, saying that Greenland’s future must be decided by its.<\/b>
\nGreenland’s party leaders have rejected President Trump’s repeated calls for the US to take control of the island, saying that Greenland’s future must be decided by its people. \u00ab\u00a0We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders\u00a0\u00bb, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and four party leaders said in a statement on Friday night, per the AP. Trump said again on Friday that he’d like to make a deal to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous region that’s part of NATO ally Denmark, \u00ab\u00a0the easy way.\u00a0\u00bb He said that if the US doesn’t own it, then Russia or China will take it over, and the US doesn’t want them as neighbors.<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u00a0If we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way\u00a0\u00bb, Trump said, without explaining what that entailed. The White House said it’s considering a range of options, including using military force, to acquire the island. Greenland’s party leaders reiterated that \u00ab\u00a0Greenland’s future must be decided by the Greenlandic people.\u00a0\u00bb \u00ab\u00a0As Greenlandic party leaders, we would like to emphasize once again our wish that the United States’ contempt for our country ends\u00a0\u00bb, the statement said. Officials from Denmark, Greenland, and the United States met Thursday in Washington and will meet again next week to discuss the renewed push by the White House for control of the island.<\/p>\n

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that an American takeover of Greenland would mark the end of NATO. The party leaders’ statement said that \u00ab\u00a0the work on Greenland’s future takes place in dialogue with the Greenlandic people and is prepared on the basis of international laws.\u00a0\u00bb \u00ab\u00a0No other country can interfere in this\u00a0\u00bb, they said. \u00ab\u00a0We must decide the future of our country ourselves, without pressure for quick decision, delay, or interference from other countries.\u00a0\u00bb The statement was signed by Nielsen, Pele Broberg, Mute B. Egede, Aleqa Hammond, and Aqqalu C. Jerimiassen. <\/p>\n

While Greenland is the largest island in the world, it has a population of around 57,000 and doesn’t have its own military. Defense is provided by Denmark, whose military is dwarfed by that of the US. It’s unclear how the remaining NATO members would respond if the US decided to forcibly take control of the island or if they’d come to Denmark’s aid.<\/p>\n