Denmark’s Greenland faces annexation threats from USA
INTERNATIONAL-USA
5 JANUARY 2026
- Denmark’s prime minister has told Donald Trump to “stop the threats” about taking over Greenland.
- Mette Frederiksen said “The US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom”.
- Her remarks come after Katie Miller – the wife of one of Trump’s aides, Stephen Miller – tweeted a map of Greenland in the colours of the American flag alongside the word “SOON“.
- Trump has repeatedly raised the possibility of Greenland becoming an annexed part of the US, citing its strategic location and mineral wealth critical to high-tech sectors.
- She said Denmark – “and thus Greenland” – was a NATO member and covered by the alliance’s security guarantee.
- Denmark already had a defence agreement with the US that gave it access to Greenland, she said, and Denmark had upped its investment in security in the Arctic region.
- Greenland, which has a population of 57,000 people, has had extensive self-government since 1979, though defence and foreign policy remain in Danish hands.
- While most Greenlanders favour eventual independence from Denmark, opinion polls show overwhelming opposition to becoming part of the US.

