Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede said he is “ready” to hold talks with President-elect Trump, who recently expressed the United States' ambition to acquire Greenland, the world's largest island.
Egede was asked at a press conference in Copenhagen on Friday whether he was in touch with the president-elect. He said no, but added that he was “ready to have discussions.”
President Trump has previously said it is “absolutely necessary” for the United States to rule Greenland, an autonomous island within the Kingdom of Denmark. He did not rule out using the military in hopes of seizing the island, which has a population of more than 56,000 people, but argued that control was vital to national security, and earlier this week Rep. Mike Walz (R-Florida), the president's nominee for national security adviser, echoed similar sentiments.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen met with Mr. Egede in Copenhagen on Friday. Both attended the press conference. In his speech, Frederiksen said he requested a meeting with the president-elect.
Egede stressed on Friday: “Greenland is for Greenlanders. We don't want to be Danes or Americans. We want to be Greenlanders.”
Denmark has been in contact with President Trump's team in recent days and has expressed openness to discussions about beefing up security on the island and increasing the U.S. military presence on the Arctic island of Axios. reported on Saturday, citing two sources familiar with the matter. The Hill reached out to Trump's transition team about the reported messages.
Frederiksen stressed that Greenland is not for sale when President Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., arrived on the Arctic island earlier this week. Sources told The Hill that Trump Jr. was on a day trip to film video content for a podcast.
