ANKARA: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Wednesday pushed back forcefully against President Donald Trump's renewed calls for U.S. control of Greenland, telling reporters her country is prepared to defend its territory in full.
Frederiksen spoke on the second day of the NATO summit in Turkey's capital, reiterating that the Arctic island is not for sale and stressing that Copenhagen expects its allies to respect Greenland's right to self-determination as well as Denmark's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"Our position is clear as it has been all through. Greenland is, of course, not for sale," Frederiksen said, adding that Denmark is a sovereign state and expects that status to be honored by all NATO allies.
Her remarks followed comments from Trump a day earlier in which he revived his push to bring Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, under American control and floated the possibility of withdrawing U.S. troops from Europe if the region continues to resist the idea.
Speaking shortly after arriving in Ankara on Tuesday, Trump said Greenland "should be controlled by the United States." In a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he complained that Europe's refusal to accommodate his ambitions for the territory was "what hurt my relationship with NATO."
Trump argued that Denmark does not adequately invest in Greenland, calling the island "an important part for the United States."
The dispute has strained the 32-member NATO alliance since January, when Trump first insisted that U.S. control of Greenland was necessary on national security grounds. The territory's status has remained a persistent point of friction between Washington and Copenhagen in the months since.
Frederiksen's comments Wednesday marked one of her most direct rebuttals yet, coming as alliance leaders gathered in Ankara for discussions on defense spending and security commitments across the alliance.
