Greenland PM comments on 'Trump’s deal': Says he does not know what it is about
Photo: Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen (Getty Images)
Prime Minister of Greenland Jens-Frederik Nielsen said he does not know what agreement with the United States is being referred to. Issues related to Greenland can only be decided by Nuuk and Copenhagen, not NATO, according to DR, which quoted Nielsen’s remarks at a press conference.
According to Nielsen, he does not know what exactly is included in the agreement that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and US President Donald Trump were talking about. Nielsen reminded that only Denmark and Greenland can conclude any agreements on this issue.
"Regarding the agreement, I do not know what exactly is in it. But I do know that we now have a working group that is working on a solution," he said.
Nielsen added that Greenland and Denmark have established "red lines" — no encroachments on territory or on the mineral resources located on the island.
"As I understand it, yesterday’s discussions were about a shared goal. That is exactly what we agreed on: we can do more for security in the Arctic. A few days ago, representatives of Greenland and Denmark held talks with Rutte. We informed him of our 'red lines.' Nothing about minerals or resources," the prime minister of Greenland noted.
Nielsen also commented on Trump’s remarks about "full access" to Greenland’s territory, recalling that US rhetoric in recent weeks has been unacceptable to the island’s residents. However, he expressed hope that the working group would do everything possible to restore constructive relations.
On January 21, following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump said that frameworks were being formed for a future agreement on Greenland and the entire Arctic region. Earlier, Trump had advocated transferring Greenland under US control — including, allegedly, for the purpose of deploying elements of the Golden Dome missile defense system there.
According to media reports, the framework agreement on Greenland includes the principle of respect for Denmark’s sovereignty over the island. At the same time, it provides for the deployment of the Golden Dome missile defense system. The defense agreement between Denmark and the US, signed in 1951. is to be updated.
Meanwhile, on January 22, Rutte said that Trump did not discuss the issue of Greenland’s sovereignty during talks on its future. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also supported the agreement reached.
