Latest news with #Greenlanders'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Denmark won't bend to Trump's pressure over Greenland, prime minister says
OSLO (Reuters) -Denmark will not yield to "unacceptable" pressure from the United States for control of semi-autonomous Greenland, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Thursday, warning Greenlanders' right to self-determination was at stake. President Donald Trump has said he wants the United States to take over the minerals-rich and strategically-located Arctic island for reasons of national and international security, and has not ruled out the use of force to do so. "The world order we've built through generations is being challenged like never before," Frederiksen said in a speech for National Day. "In recent months Greenland and Denmark have been subjected to unacceptable pressure from our closest ally," she added, referring to the United States. U.S. Vice President JD Vance on a visit to the island in March accused fellow NATO member Denmark of not doing a good job keeping Greenland safe and suggested the United States would better protect the territory. Vance's visit followed an election victory by Greenland's Demokraatit party, which favours a slow approach to independence rather than the quicker departure proposed by some others. Leaders of Denmark and Greenland have said only Greenlanders can decide the territory's future, and the Danish constitution gives the island the right to seek independence. Fundamental principles in the transatlantic relationship such as national sovereignty, the respect for borders and people's right to self-determination are now at stake, Frederiksen said. "But we don't bend. We Danes are not like that," she added. Denmark's King Frederik, who is popular in Greenland, visited the island in late April in a show of unity amid the diplomatic stand-off with Trump. A 1951 agreement between the United States and Denmark gives the U.S. the right to construct military bases in Greenland as long as Denmark and Greenland are notified. The island, whose capital Nuuk is closer to New York than Copenhagen, boasts mineral, oil and natural gas wealth, but development has been slow and the mining sector has seen very limited U.S. investment.
Straits Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Denmark won't bend to Trump's pressure over Greenland, prime minister says
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen attends a press conference with President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola (not pictured) at the Prime Minister's Office, ahead of Denmark's takeover of the European Union presidency, at Christiansborg, Copenhagen, Denmark, on June 3, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Mads Claus Rasmussen via REUTERS/ File Photo FILE PHOTO: Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen receives Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen ahead of a meeting at Marienborg in Kongens Lyngby, Denmark, April 27, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Mads Claus Rasmussen via REUTERS/File Photo OSLO - Denmark will not yield to "unacceptable" pressure from the United States for control of semi-autonomous Greenland, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Thursday, warning Greenlanders' right to self-determination was at stake. President Donald Trump has said he wants the United States to take over the minerals-rich and strategically-located Arctic island for reasons of national and international security, and has not ruled out the use of force to do so. "The world order we've built through generations is being challenged like never before," Frederiksen said in a speech for National Day. "In recent months Greenland and Denmark have been subjected to unacceptable pressure from our closest ally," she added, referring to the United States. U.S. Vice President JD Vance on a visit to the island in March accused fellow NATO member Denmark of not doing a good job keeping Greenland safe and suggested the United States would better protect the territory. Vance's visit followed an election victory by Greenland's Demokraatit party, which favours a slow approach to independence rather than the quicker departure proposed by some others. Leaders of Denmark and Greenland have said only Greenlanders can decide the territory's future, and the Danish constitution gives the island the right to seek independence. Fundamental principles in the transatlantic relationship such as national sovereignty, the respect for borders and people's right to self-determination are now at stake, Frederiksen said. "But we don't bend. We Danes are not like that," she added. Denmark's King Frederik, who is popular in Greenland, visited the island in late April in a show of unity amid the diplomatic stand-off with Trump. A 1951 agreement between the United States and Denmark gives the U.S. the right to construct military bases in Greenland as long as Denmark and Greenland are notified. The island, whose capital Nuuk is closer to New York than Copenhagen, boasts mineral, oil and natural gas wealth, but development has been slow and the mining sector has seen very limited U.S. investment. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Denmark won't bend to Trump's pressure over Greenland, prime minister says
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen attends a press conference with President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola (not pictured) at the Prime Minister's Office, ahead of Denmark's takeover of the European Union presidency, at Christiansborg, Copenhagen, Denmark, on June 3, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Mads Claus Rasmussen via REUTERS/ File Photo OSLO (Reuters) -Denmark will not yield to "unacceptable" pressure from the United States for control of semi-autonomous Greenland, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Thursday, warning Greenlanders' right to self-determination was at stake. President Donald Trump has said he wants the United States to take over the minerals-rich and strategically-located Arctic island for reasons of national and international security, and has not ruled out the use of force to do so. "The world order we've built through generations is being challenged like never before," Frederiksen said in a speech for National Day. "In recent months Greenland and Denmark have been subjected to unacceptable pressure from our closest ally," she added, referring to the United States. U.S. Vice President JD Vance on a visit to the island in March accused fellow NATO member Denmark of not doing a good job keeping Greenland safe and suggested the United States would better protect the territory. Vance's visit followed an election victory by Greenland's Demokraatit party, which favours a slow approach to independence rather than the quicker departure proposed by some others. Leaders of Denmark and Greenland have said only Greenlanders can decide the territory's future, and the Danish constitution gives the island the right to seek independence. Fundamental principles in the transatlantic relationship such as national sovereignty, the respect for borders and people's right to self-determination are now at stake, Frederiksen said. "But we don't bend. We Danes are not like that," she added. Denmark's King Frederik, who is popular in Greenland, visited the island in late April in a show of unity amid the diplomatic stand-off with Trump. A 1951 agreement between the United States and Denmark gives the U.S. the right to construct military bases in Greenland as long as Denmark and Greenland are notified. The island, whose capital Nuuk is closer to New York than Copenhagen, boasts mineral, oil and natural gas wealth, but development has been slow and the mining sector has seen very limited U.S. investment. (Reporting by Terje SolsvikEditing by Alexandra Hudson)
Kuwait Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Trump's Greenland threats spark jitters
REYKJAVIK: US President Donald Trump's threats to take over Greenland have neighboring Iceland rethinking its long-term defense, currently provided by the United States and NATO as the volcanic island has no military of its own. Around 74 percent of Icelanders think Trump's interest in Greenland, and in the Arctic in general, pose a threat to their country, according to a recent poll by public broadcaster RUV. 'We can easily put ourselves in Greenlanders' shoes,' an Icelandic member of parliament for the governing Social Democrats, Dagur Eggertsson, told AFP. The White House under Trump has not so far voiced any plans for Iceland, a subarctic island in the North Atlantic between the UK and Greenland and home to 390,000 people. Trump 'is threatening Greenland every day but doesn't say a thing about Iceland', said Valur Ingimundarson, a professor of contemporary history at the University of Iceland. He noted that while Iceland shares Greenland's geostrategic location, it does not possess the mineral riches believed to be hidden under Greenland's soil. And like Greenland, Iceland has close military ties with the United States. Washington has guaranteed Iceland's defense since 1951 following an agreement between the two NATO members. During World War II, the Keflavik military base was a key US hub and it remained important to the alliance during the Cold War. The 1951 agreement enables the United States to maintain troops on the island but allows Iceland to set limits on the number of soldiers and to unilaterally cancel the agreement with 18 months' notice. Subsea infrastructure Although the United States officially closed the Keflavik base in 2006, it returned following Russia's 2014 invasion of Crimea. 'The US military base has not formally been reopened in Iceland, but American troops are here the whole year round, if on a rotational basis,' Ingimundarson said. At stake are underwater telecoms and energy infrastructure, at risk of potential Chinese or Russian sabotage. Beijing and Moscow have been increasingly active in the Arctic as climate change opens up sea routes. As a result, no one in Iceland has officially questioned the US presence or Reykjavik's military dependence on Washington. 'Iceland and the US have a longstanding and close relationship on security and defence matters, based on shared interest in the North Atlantic and the Arctic,' the foreign ministry told AFP. 'There is no reason to assume that this will change.' Establishing an Icelandic army has always been a taboo subject. 'If the government would put it on the agenda, it would result in a divisive public debate, with those opposing the idea most likely having the upper hand,' Ingimundarson said. Yet the tide appears to be gradually turning, said Eggertsson, the MP. 'We are in a time of transformation, where the clear vision from the post-World War years that Europe should not re-arm, but be provided defense under the NATO-US umbrella, is giving way,' he said. Advocating a multilateral approach to security, Iceland is now shifting its gaze toward Europe as Trump casts US defense ties with NATO allies into doubt. Given the unpredictability of the Trump administration, 'we should have as a plan B (to) try to establish a close relationship with the EU,' Ingimundarson said. The foreign ministry has already made it clear that partnerships with the EU 'are expected to deepen further in the coming years'. 'Iceland would definitely support a European NATO if the United States would withdraw from the alliance,' Ingimundarson said. That would be an 'easier option' than transferring European defence to the EU - of which Iceland is not a member. 'It wouldn't necessitate Iceland becoming an EU member, if it would seek to disentangle itself from the US,' he said. Iceland launched EU membership negotiations in 2009 following its 2008 economic collapse. The talks were suspended in 2013, but a referendum on their resumption is due in 2027. EU membership would not just be about safeguarding the island's security. 'It is also about economic prosperity, low tariffs with our biggest trading partners, fisheries and more,' Eggertsson said. Fisheries policy would be the biggest stumbling block, with Iceland keen to retain total control over its lucrative fishing zones, a crucial pillar of its economy. - AFP
The Sun
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Trump's Greenland threats spark Iceland jitters
REYKJAVIK: US President Donald Trump's threats to take over Greenland have neighbouring Iceland rethinking its long-term defence, currently provided by the United States and NATO as the volcanic island has no military of its own. Around 74 percent of Icelanders think Trump's interest in Greenland, and in the Arctic in general, pose a threat to their country, according to a recent poll by public broadcaster RUV. 'We can easily put ourselves in Greenlanders' shoes,' an Icelandic member of parliament for the governing Social Democrats, Dagur Eggertsson, told AFP. The White House under Trump has not so far voiced any plans for Iceland, a subarctic island in the North Atlantic between the UK and Greenland and home to 390,000 people. Trump 'is threatening Greenland every day but doesn't say a thing about Iceland', said Valur Ingimundarson, a professor of contemporary history at the University of Iceland. He noted that while Iceland shares Greenland's geostrategic location, it does not possess the mineral riches believed to be hidden under Greenland's soil. And like Greenland, Iceland has close military ties with the United States. Washington has guaranteed Iceland's defence since 1951 following an agreement between the two NATO members. During World War II, the Keflavik military base was a key US hub and it remained important to the alliance during the Cold War. The 1951 agreement enables the United States to maintain troops on the island but allows Iceland to set limits on the number of soldiers and to unilaterally cancel the agreement with 18 months' notice. Subsea infrastructure Although the United States officially closed the Keflavik base in 2006, it returned following Russia's 2014 invasion of Crimea. 'The US military base has not formally been reopened in Iceland, but American troops are here the whole year round, if on a rotational basis,' Ingimundarson said. At stake are underwater telecoms and energy infrastructure, at risk of potential Chinese or Russian sabotage. Beijing and Moscow have been increasingly active in the Arctic as climate change opens up sea routes. As a result, no one in Iceland has officially questioned the US presence or Reykjavik's military dependence on Washington. 'Iceland and the US have a longstanding and close relationship on security and defence matters, based on shared interest in the North Atlantic and the Arctic,' the foreign ministry told AFP. 'There is no reason to assume that this will change.' Establishing an Icelandic army has always been a taboo subject. 'If the government would put it on the agenda, it would result in a divisive public debate, with those opposing the idea most likely having the upper hand,' Ingimundarson said. Yet the tide appears to be gradually turning, said Eggertsson, the MP. 'We are in a time of transformation, where the clear vision from the post-World War years that Europe should not re-arm, but be provided defence under the NATO-US umbrella, is giving way,' he said. Plan B Advocating a multilateral approach to security, Iceland is now shifting its gaze toward Europe as Trump casts US defence ties with NATO allies into doubt. Given the unpredictability of the Trump administration, 'we should have as a plan B (to) try to establish a close relationship with the EU,' Ingimundarson said. The foreign ministry has already made it clear that partnerships with the EU 'are expected to deepen further in the coming years'. 'Iceland would definitely support a European NATO if the United States would withdraw from the alliance,' Ingimundarson said. That would be an 'easier option' than transferring European defence to the EU -- of which Iceland is not a member. 'It wouldn't necessitate Iceland becoming an EU member, if it would seek to disentangle itself from the US,' he said. Iceland launched EU membership negotiations in 2009 following its 2008 economic collapse. The talks were suspended in 2013, but a referendum on their resumption is due in 2027. EU membership would not just be about safeguarding the island's security. 'It is also about economic prosperity, low tariffs with our biggest trading partners, fisheries and more,' Eggertsson said. Fisheries policy would be the biggest stumbling block, with Iceland keen to retain total control over its lucrative fishing zones, a crucial pillar of its economy.
