Greenland’s government hits back at Donald Trump over US visit to Arctic island

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Greenland’s government has publicly dressed down US President Donald Trump, saying it had not invited any American officials to the Arctic island amid widespread anger over Washington’s attempts to woo Nuuk.

Mike Waltz, US national security adviser, Usha Vance, wife of vice-president JD Vance, and the army and energy secretaries are due to fly to Greenland this week for what they have billed as a “private visit” to watch a national dog sledding contest and visit a US military base in the far north of the island.

Trump’s repeated statements of interest in acquiring Greenland — which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark — for national security reasons has placed the vast island of just 57,000 people in the geopolitical spotlight. He has refused to rule out taking Greenland by force.

The US president said on Monday that his administration was working with “people in Greenland” who wanted something to happen. Trump added: “They’re calling us. We’re not calling them.”

Greenland’s government repudiated that statement on Monday night, saying: “Just for the record, Naalakkersuisut, the government of Greenland, has not extended any invitations for any visits, neither private nor official.”

It added: “The present government is a caretaker government awaiting the formation of a new government coalition, and we have kindly requested all countries to respect this process.”

Trump has suggested that national elections in Greenland earlier this month helped the American cause.

But the leaders of all five parties in Greenland’s parliament have condemned his comments, while 85 per cent of the population said in a recent opinion poll that they do not want to become part of the US.

The elections were won by Demokraatit, a party that wants a slow and gradual independence from Denmark.

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the likely next prime minister and leader of Demokraatit, told Greenlanders on Monday that they needed to “stand together” but that there was no reason for panic.

He added: “We must not be forced into a power game that we ourselves have not chosen to be part of.”

Greenlanders who protested in recent days in front of the US consulate in Nuuk about Trump’s interest in the island have said there would be a demonstration against the American delegation on Saturday during the national dogsled contest in Sisimiut, the second-largest town.

The US consulate has confirmed it gave a large but confidential sum to the dogsled contest.

Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Denmark’s foreign minister, also criticised the upcoming visit as showing a lack of respect for sovereignty and the population of Greenland.

Denmark has tried to signal that it is interested in more co-operation with the US in the Arctic but the upcoming visit is seen in Copenhagen as a provocation unworthy of a Nato ally.