Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede said on Monday that the country is seeking to strengthen its defense and mining ties with the United States, albeit on its own terms, following statements by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
Reuters has reported this.
Thus, Egede said that his government is looking for ways to cooperate with the United States and that he is ready to start a dialogue with the new Trump administration, but stressed that it will be up to them to decide how to proceed.
Responding to a question at a news conference about the expansion of U.S. military capabilities on the vast Arctic island, Egede said: "Greenland's independence is Greenland's business, also in relation to the use of its land, so it is also Greenland that will decide what agreement we should come to."
He added: "This is the first time Greenland has been listened to in an intense way. We need to be calm and take advantage of things and stand together."
While Trump did not rule out the potential use of military or economic means to gain control of Greenland, U.S. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, speaking on Sunday, dismissed the possibility of using military force, even as he stressed Greenland's strategic importance and its rich resources.
"It was worrying when we first heard it. But the vice president said yesterday that they have no interest in using weapons. Our interest is in cooperation," said Egede.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede previously said that the island, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark, does not want to submit to either Copenhagen or Washington.
Recall, in December 2024, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said that Denmark should transfer Greenland under American control. According to him, the island is needed by the U.S. for security reasons.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Denmark allocated USD 1.5 billion to strengthen Greenland's defenses after Trump's statement that the island should come under U.S. control.
And on January 8, the U.S. President-elect said that he did not rule out using the army to establish control over Greenland.
On January 10, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that she had asked Trump for a meeting amid his statements about Greenland.
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