Greenland should bypass Denmark and hold direct talks with the US, a Greenlandic opposition leader has told Reuters.
“We encourage our current (Greenlandic) government to actually have a dialogue with the US government without Denmark,” said Pele Broberg, leader of Naleraq, the largest opposition party, which is the most prominent political voice for Greenland’s independence.
According to Broberg, “Denmark is antagonising both Greenland and the US with their mediation.”
The Naleraq party, which strongly advocates a rapid move to full independence, doubled its seats to eight in last year’s election, winning 25% of the vote in the nation of just 57,000. Although not a member of the governing coalition, the party has said it wants a defence agreement with Washington and has indicated it could pursue a “free association” arrangement that would enable Greenland to receive US support and protection in exchange for military rights, without becoming a US territory.
In his renewed push to bring Greenland under US control, President Donald Trump has revived an idea he floated in 2019 during his first term in office and has recently stepped up threats to take over the island nation. Greenland’s strategic location between Europe and North America makes it a critical site for the US ballistic missile defence system. Moreover, its rich mineral resources align with Washington’s goal of reducing dependence on China.
An autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenland has its own parliament and government. However, Copenhagen retains authority over foreign affairs and defence. All Greenlandic parties want independence but differ on how, and when, to achieve it.
The Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers and US Secretary of State are scheduled to meet next week to address tensions between NATO allies. The Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt said Greenland could not conduct direct talks with the US without Denmark, as it is not legally permitted to do so.
“We must respect the law, and we have rules for how to resolve issues in the Kingdom,” she told the Sermitsiaq daily late on Wednesday. It was important to set Greenland’s relationship with Washington on a steady course, she said. “My greatest hope is that the meeting will lead to a normalisation of our relationship,” she told the newspaper.
The Danish-Greenlandic strategy is to try to channel discussions back onto a diplomatic track, in which rational concerns are addressed, said Ulrik Pram Gad, senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies.
“The strategy is to get Trump’s undiplomatic social media statements put back into stabilised diplomatic channels,” he told Reuters.
Marco Rubio appears not to favour a military operation, according to France’s foreign minister. But others in the Trump administration say the option is on the table.
“We are going to make sure we defend America’s interests,” US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News in an interview aired late on Wednesday. “And I think the president is willing to go as far as he has to make sure he does that.”
