Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has said he held a “respectful and positive” meeting with a special envoy of US President Donald Trump, but made it clear that the island’s right to self-determination is non-negotiable.
Nielsen said the Greenlandic people continue to firmly reject any idea of external control over the territory, which is a semiautonomous part of NATO member Denmark. He noted that while discussions with US officials were cordial, Greenland’s political status is not open for negotiation.
“The Greenlandic people are not for sale. Greenlandic self-determination is not something that can be negotiated,” he was quoted as saying by Danish broadcaster TV 2 after meeting Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, Trump’s special envoy to the Arctic territory.
At the same time, Nielsen stressed that Greenland seeks constructive cooperation with the United States. He described the meeting as a courtesy call held in a positive atmosphere with mutual respect.
According to Danish public broadcaster DR, Landry said on arrival in Greenland that Trump had instructed him to “go over there and make as many friends as we can get.”
Greenland’s Foreign Minister Mute B. Egede said a joint working group involving the United States, Greenland, and Denmark is continuing discussions aimed at addressing repeated US interest in gaining control over the island. Trump has previously suggested that rival powers such as Russia or China could move to take strategic advantage of Greenland, a claim widely rejected by regional experts.
Egede said Greenland has not created obstacles to cooperation with Washington. He added that progress depends on the outcome of the working group, which he said now appears “more promising” than before.
Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Denmark Ken Howery, who is part of the visiting delegation, is expected to open new US consulate offices in Nuuk and attend a business fair along with Landry in the coming days, according to local media reports.
