We choose Denmark over US, says Greenland PM

Greenland's prime minister said Tuesday that the autonomous territory would choose to remain Danish rather than become part of the United States, following US President Donald Trump's threats to take over the Arctic island.

"We are now facing a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark," Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told a press conference in Copenhagen.

Trump has been talking up the idea of buying or annexing the Arctic territory for years, and further stoked tensions on Sunday by saying that the United States would take the territory "one way or the other". 

"One thing must be clear to everyone Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed by the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States," Nielsen said.

He was speaking alongside Danish leader Mette Frederiksen, who said it had not been easy to stand up to what she slammed as "completely unacceptable pressure from our closest ally".

"However, there are many indications that the most challenging part is ahead of us," Frederiksen said.

Trump has insisted the US needs Greenland for "national security".

Frederiksen stressed that "of course, we want to strengthen cooperation on security in the Arctic with the United States, with NATO, with Europe and with the Arctic states in NATO." 

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt are due to meet with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House on Wednesday.

© Agence France-Presse