This article was first published by APTN in Canada
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen addressed a packed house of international journalists in English during a press conference in Nuuk’s Katuaq Cultural Center on Thursday.
At the core of his message was a combination of relief and an expression of hope for a return to gentler forms of diplomacy than the recent belligerent threats from U.S. President Donald Trump and many of his associates.
“Our goal and wish is to continue a peaceful dialogue based on cooperation,” he said, “with respect for our constitutional position, international law, the right to our country, and the right to self-determination.”
Nielsen noted Greenlandic foreign ministers recently met with U.S. political representatives, during which both parties agreed to create a “high-level working group” designed to resolve the American interest in Greenland without compromising the nation’s integrity, the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenlandic peoples’ right to self-determination.
Until the previous day, Trump and some of his associates had made a series of comments implying or stating outright their willingness to invade Greenland militarily.
Nielsen told a press conference on Jan. 20 that, “It’s not likely there will be a military conflict, but it can’t be ruled out.”
He encouraged Greenlanders to stockpile several days worth of food and said the government would begin planning to help mitigate potential shortages and disruptions.
However, on Jan. 21 during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump announced a change of course. He began by denigrating Greenland, stating incorrectly that the United States seized the island during the Second World War and later “gave Greenland back to Denmark,” before calling the nation a “Big, beautiful piece of ice. It’s hard to call it land.”
Trump then argued that the U.S. “probably won’t get anything” without the use of “excessive strength and force.”
Though Trump stressed if the U.S. used force they would be “unstoppable,” he concluded, “But I won’t do that. Okay?”
Later the same day, Trump unexpectedly changed his tone again.
In a post to his social media network Truth Social, Trump announced, “Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region. This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations.”
Furthermore, Trump reeled back his threat to impose tariffs on any nation that opposed his Greenland ambitions, saying discussions were ongoing regarding Greenland’s role in his proposed “Golden Dome” missile-defence framework.
Speaking to international journalists in Nuuk, Nielsen expressed relief.
“I’m glad and I’m happy that [Trump] stated what he did yesterday,” Nielsen said. “And I’m also glad that we have a high-level working group that can sort things out and we can find out concretely what the interests of the U.S. are. If we cannot have a dialogue through the right channels, it’s difficult for me to see what it actually is about, other than when we see the media and wake up over time where something has been said.”
However, Nielsen was not a participant to the discussions that led to Trump’s announcement, and would not comment on the “future deal” Trump had declared.
“I don’t know what there is in the agreement or the deal about my country that [occurred] over some discussions I didn’t attend,” he stressed. “But I know that we have now a high-level working group working on a solution for both parties.”
Nielsen said that from the beginning, Greenland had red lines, which included threats to its territorial integrity, and potential violations of international law.
“We are ready to cooperate more in economics and in other areas, but that’s something we have to talk about in mutual respect,” he argued. “Until yesterday, we couldn’t rule out anything. The will to own Greenland, was still a part of the rhetoric yesterday. But as I said, respectful dialogue through the right channels is what we have been seeking from the get-go.”
Some of Nielsen’s speech seemed to reflect the widely discussed address by Prime Minister Mark Carney on Jan. 20 at the same forum in Davos at which Trump spoke, in which Carney said, “the middle powers must act together, because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.”
Nielsen, by turn, thanked Nordic countries, Denmark, and other EU nations for their support.
“Greenland continues to be the center of a serious situation,” he said, “a situation that we have never wished to be in. We feel the massive pressure on our country and also on our partners and friends in the EU. We are strongly aware that this support requires a lot from our friends and allies.”
Nielsen noted Greenland’s allies’ declarations of support reflected an awareness that Trump’s threats of invasion and annexation could affect them as well.
“This is not only about us: this is actually about something much bigger,” he said. “It’s about the world order, the principle we have built the world on, the Western alliance on, that have kept the world safe for many, many years. That’s nothing to gamble on. And that’s what we are trying to state. And we are ready to do it through diplomacy and through the right channels.”
Though Nielsen is Kalaallit (Greenlandic Inuit), as is some 90 per cent of Greenland’s population, he did not raise the issue of Indigenous rights and title during the course of his speech. Instead, he spoke glowingly of his support for NATO, an organization some Kalaallit critics have told APTN they oppose.
“We have always been and remain dedicated to the NATO alliance,” Nielsen said, “as we seek to strengthen the security in the Arctic through important initiatives, including a more permanent NATO mission in Greenland and increased military presence and exercise activities.
“Greenland chooses the Greenland we know today as part of the Kingdom of Denmark. We have developed our society, democracy, and country for many years under the framework of the Kingdom of Denmark and the NATO alliance. We have obtained self-rule, our right to self-determination, within the framework. It must continue.”
On Jan. 17, a massive crowd of demonstrators flooded Nuuk, Greenland’s capital city (pop. 20,000) waving Greenlandic flags and chanting, “Kalaallit Nunaat Kalaallit pigaat,” meaning “Greenland belongs to Greenlanders.”
Greenlandic flags remain posted in windows all over Nuuk, from housing blocks to banks and high-end stores. Cars and trucks fly the flag, as do construction cranes, and some businesses have posted messaging such as “Greenland is not for sale,” and the slogan “Kalaallit Nunaat Kalaallit pigaat.”
Nielsen characterized the Jan. 17 demonstration as anti-U.S.A., but clarified, “It is not a demonstration against our long-lasting friendship or close cooperation. It is against disrespect for international rule of law, democracy, and our right to self-determination. One cannot question the voice of the people. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU. We choose NATO.”
Greenlanders are a peaceful people, Nielsen said, which he argued was reflected in their approach to an increasingly uncertain world.
“We have and will continue to seek respectful dialogue through diplomacy and normal channels,” he stressed.
As for the “framework of a future deal” that Trump announced the previous day, Nielsen argued it was not up to Trump to determine what such a deal would look like.
“Nobody else than Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark have the mandate to make deals or agreements about Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark without us,” he said. “That’s not going to happen.”
Nonetheless, Nielsen indicated his openness to new arrangements.
“We have to do more on security in our area, in the Arctic area,” he said. “We are ready to discuss a lot of things. And we are ready to negotiate a better partnership and so on. Our integrity and our borders and international law is definitely a red line that we don’t want anyone to cross. And I don’t think that is strange at all.”
The current framework of NATO and existing defence agreements with the U.S. and Denmark, Nielsen argued, provided everything Greenland and the U.S. need to find common ground and create a partnership based on mutual respect.
“So let’s discuss that in a respectful way,” he said, “and I think our partnership can be much stronger. We are willing to do more in a NATO frame. Because one thing we all agree on: the security of the Arctic and our region is important.”
Acknowledging public discussion of Greenland’s mineral reserves — many of which are buried beneath more than a kilometre of glacier — Nielsen said he was open to exploring resource development agreements with the U.S.
However, he added, “in Greenland, if you want to exploit, you of course have to respect our legislation and our very high environmental standards, because that’s a part of us. That’s a part of our culture. But let’s talk about it.”
Despite Trump’s reputation as a brazen liar, Nielsen said he must take the U.S. president at his word.
“Of course we have to believe what he says,” Nielsen declared. “What I want to believe in is the frame that made peace in the world for many, many, many years after some horrible times. What we want to believe is we are a close and beloved ally of the Western Alliance. And that’s also what we have to believe. This is about world order. This is about international law. This is about respecting territorial integrity. I believe that the world will not take that turn so drastically. I have to believe that.”
By Jesse Staniforth and Angel Moore of APTN