A joint statement from all five political parties elected to Greenland’s parliament said the island’s future should be decided by its people.
Published on January 10, 2026
Greenland’s political parties have rejected repeated threats by US President Donald Trump to take over the Arctic island, saying its future should be decided by its people.
Trump has it Advised to use force To seize the mineral-rich Danish autonomous region to prevent Russia or China from occupying the strategically located island, raises concerns around the world.
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“We once again emphasize our desire to end America’s contempt for our country,” the leaders of all five political parties elected to Greenland’s parliament said in a joint statement late Friday.
“We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders,” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Friedrich Nielsen said in a statement posted on social media.
“No other country can interfere in this. We must decide the future of our country ourselves – without pressure to make hasty decisions, without delay and without interference from other countries,” the statement said.
A meeting of Greenland’s parliament, Inatsisertut, will be brought forward to ensure a fair and comprehensive political debate takes place and people’s rights are protected, leaders said.
The date of the meeting has not been fixed yet. Greenland’s parliament last met in November and is scheduled to meet again on February 3, according to its website.
The statement from the political parties came hours after Trump said on Friday that he is “on Greenland like it or not” and that the US military presence on the island is not enough to guarantee its protection under a 1951 agreement with NATO member Denmark.
European capitals are shouting The White House said this week that Trump wants to buy Greenland and come up with a coordinated response after refusing to rule out military action.
Trump’s renewed commitment to Greenland, following the US military intervention in Venezuela, worries many of the island’s 57,000 residents, who aim to eventually become an independent nation.
A 2009 agreement between Greenland and Denmark expressly recognized Greenlanders’ right to independence if they chose, but while all five parties say they want independence, they differ on how and when to achieve it.
The coalition currently in power in Greenland is not in a hurry for independence. The sole opposition party, Nalerak, which secured 24.5 percent of the votes in the 2025 assembly elections, wants to sever ties as soon as possible.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that a US takeover of Greenland would have consequences The end of NATO.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Denmark’s foreign minister and representatives of Greenland next week. Trump offered to buy Greenland in 2019 during his first term as president, but was rebuffed.