Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen meets Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Copenhagen on January 13, 2026. Photo: AFP

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on Tuesday reaffirmed the island's ties with Denmark and rejected any suggestion that it could become a US territory, as Greenlandic and Danish foreign ministers are set to meet US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday following renewed US rhetoric about taking control of the autonomous Danish territory, according to multiple media reports. 

"We face a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the US and Denmark here and now, then we choose Denmark," Nielsen told reporters in Copenhagen on Tuesday, standing alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. "We stand united in the Kingdom of Denmark," he said, according to a Reuters report.

Nielsen emphatically rejected the idea that Greenland could come under Washington's control. "One thing must be clear to everyone — Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed by the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States," he said, according to a report from German media outlet Deutsche Welle (DW).

After repeated threats of a US takeover of Greenland, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday scoffed at Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen's remark on the Arctic island's preference to remain with Denmark, calling it a "big problem." Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, US local time, Trump said he "disagreed" with Nielsen, according to a report from Live Mint.

During the joint news conference, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also slammed what she called "unacceptable pressure" from Denmark's closest ally, the US, over Greenland. She warned that "there are many indications that the most challenging part is ahead of us," per DW.

But Frederiksen also stressed that Copenhagen wished to continue working with Washington on Arctic security questions. "Of course, we want to strengthen cooperation on security in the Arctic with the United States, with NATO, with Europe and with the Arctic states in NATO," she said, according to DW.

A Guardian report noted that Nielsen also said that the island's "goal and desire is peaceful dialogue, with a focus on cooperation." Trump's pursuit of the island was also a matter of "international law and our right to our own country", he said.

The Guardian report described the meeting between the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland - due to be held in Washington on Wednesday with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio - as "a crunch meeting."

Naaja H Nathanielsen, Greenland's minister for business, mineral resources, energy, justice and gender equality, said on a visit to London on Tuesday that the Greenlandic government did not know what was on the agenda for the White House meeting. Urging the US to act as allies, she said: "For others it might be a piece of land but for us it is home," according to a report from the Guardian.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly argued that the US needs Greenland "for national security," and he has not ruled out the use of military force to take over the island. The DW report noted that Greenland has the right to seek independence under international law, and in a 2025 poll 56 percent of its population voiced support for full secession from Denmark. Support for joining the United States was much lower, sitting at just 6 percent. 

Amid increasing tensions over Washington's aims toward Greenland, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Tuesday reiterated that Greenland and Denmark should decide the future of the island. "Questions of sovereignty over the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark will be decided by Denmark, by no one else," he said, per Reuters.

Aside from Europe leaders, residents in Greenland also expressed support for remaining part of Denmark and called for a pause in independence discussions ahead of high-level talks in Washington on Wednesday, according to another Reuters report on Tuesday, which also cited some Greenlanders as they worried about potential US intervention.

Casper Frank Moller, a tour operator, noted how US threats have brought Greenlanders closer together. "Last year, some people were still focused on fast independence. But after what has happened, there's more unity among us because we have to stand against this possible annexation. Hopefully, tomorrow's meeting will lead to a diplomatic solution," Moller said, according to the report. 



Global Times