Greenland's PM ready to talk to Trump after his claims on island
Photo: Newly elected US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede has expressed readiness to negotiate with Donald Trump. This comes shortly after the future US leader's statement about his desire to control the island, Reuters reports.
At a press conference in Copenhagen, when asked if the Prime Minister of Greenland had contacted Trump, Egede replied that he had not yet done so.
"No, but we are ready to talk," he said.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who also spoke at the press conference, said on Thursday that she had requested a meeting with Trump but did not expect it to happen before his inauguration.
Greenland, home to 57,000 people, was a colony of Denmark until 1953 but is now a self-governing territory of Denmark. In 2009, it secured the right to claim independence through a vote.
"We have a desire for independence, a desire to be the master of our own house ... This is something everyone should respect," emphasized Egede.
Scandalous statements by Trump
After winning the election, Donald Trump announced that he would like to buy Greenland. He also threatened to bring the Panama Canal back under US control and make Canada the 51st state of the United States.
The elder son of the elected US president recently visited Greenland and posted photos on social media of local residents wearing Trump-branded hats.
In response to Trump's claims, Denmark began strengthening its defense of Greenland. Meanwhile, the European Union called for respect for the independence of member countries, including Denmark. At the same time, there were statements from the island itself expressing a desire for independence.
For more details on what Trump's statements mean, see the material by RBC-Ukraine.
