Greenland to Trump: Not for sale, but let’s talk business

Greenland is ready to talk.

Responding Monday to the diplomatic upheaval caused last week by President-elect Donald J. Trump, who considered taking over the huge island in the Arctic Ocean, Greenland’s prime minister said the territory would like to work more closely with the United States on defense and natural resources.

“The reality is that we will cooperate with the US – yesterday, today and tomorrow,” Prime Minister Múte Egede told a news conference in Nuuk, Greenland’s small, ice-bound capital.

But he was firm: Greenlanders did not want to become Americans.

“We have to be very smart in our behaviour,” he said, adding: “The power struggles between the superpowers are growing and now they are knocking at our door.”

Mr. Trump refused to rule out using economic or military force to regain the Panama Canal and seize Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory from Denmark that he proposed buying during his first term. Then, as now, Greenland and Denmark said the island was not for sale. Panamanian leaders also dismissed the threat.

Mr. Egede said on Monday that “we were all shocked” by the words of Mr. Trump, which were emphasized by the surprising and somewhat mysterious visit of the eldest son of the newly elected president, Donald Trump Jr., to the island on the same day.

The younger Mr. Trump made a lightning sightseeing tour, saying he was on private business, and Greenland has been making headlines around the world ever since.

Most of the territory of Greenland is covered with ice, only about 56,000 people live here, and until recently the island was best known for its icebergs and polar bears. As climate change melts the Arctic ice, this region is quietly falling into the hands of world powers.

The United States, Russia, European countries, China and others have eyed Arctic waterways and vast mineral wealth no longer considered unattainable.

The island has been linked to Denmark for centuries, first as a colony, and now as a separate territory that has achieved a high degree of autonomy in recent years. Denmark still controls the island’s foreign affairs and defense policy.

But the wave of interest from international powers is in line with Greenland’s quest for independence, and that itch has only gotten stronger. At the same time, many people here are hesitant to completely cut ties with Denmark because of the hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies Denmark provides each year.

In Nuuk, where Monday afternoon was a sunny zero degrees Fahrenheit, many people were anxiously waiting to hear what the prime minister would say.

“Whatever happens, there’s no going back,” said Aviaq Kleist, owner of a cafe in Nuuk Center, the city’s largest mall, with dozens of shops. She joked that maybe Mr. Egede would suddenly declare independence.

Mr Egede did not – he danced around the issue, saying the country had worked steadily towards the goal but that “different parties have different views”. (There is also a clear process for independence that includes a referendum, should it come to that.)

The prime minister also expressed relief at comments JD Vance, the incoming vice president, made on Fox News this weekend. While Mr. Vance didn’t exactly rule out military force, saying, “We don’t have to use military force” because “we already have troops in Greenland,” his tone was upbeat as he spoke of Greenland’s “incredible natural resources” and “a deal to be made.”

The United States has been interested in Greenland for years. During World War II, it established bases here, and after the war it tried to buy Greenland from Denmark, which refused. Today, the US military operates the Pituffik Space Base, which specializes in anti-missile defense, at the northern end of the island.

In Nuuk on Monday, people seemed to be on the same side as the prime minister, expressing a mixture of hope and caution. Several said they did not want to be swallowed up by the United States. But they wanted a stronger partnership with America.

“What we really need is more cooperation and trade,” said Nielseeraq Berthelsen, a fisherman. He worked in an ice-covered seafood market, selling pieces of whale skin and bright red seal meat.

He said he was walking through another mall last week when someone approached him out of the blue and invited him to a special dinner.

The next thing he remembered, he said, was shaking hands with the younger Mr. Trump.

“He had a lot of enthusiasm,” said Mr. Berthelsen, who stood in such cold air that his eyes watered as he spoke. “He had good energy.”

Ivik Kristiansen contributed reporting.