Greenland's Minister for Independence and Foreign Affairs Vivian Motzfeldt and Denmark's Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen present a Defense Agreement on the Arctic and North Atlantic, at the Ministry of Defense in Copenhagen on January 27, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Copenhagen, January 29 (RHC)-- Despite President Donald Trump's repeated efforts to acquire the semi-autonomous territory of Greenland as a part of the United States, an overwhelming majority of Greenlanders firmly reject the idea.
A new opinion poll indicates that 85% of the people in the Greenland refuse their rich island to become part of the United States, after Trump called for the U.S. to take control of the Danish territory, under the notion that "Greenlanders want to be with the U.S."
The survey was conducted by Verian for Danish newspaper Berlingske and Greenlandic media Sermitsiaq between January 22 and January 27, 2025.
Although geographically part of the North American continent, the island nation has been part of the Kingdom of Denmark. However, since 1979, it has existed as an autonomous territory with its own flag and language.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede stated earlier this month that the resourceful island is not for sale and that the people on the island themselves must decide their own future. Nevertheless, Denmark has limited military capabilities on the vast island and has announced it would spend 14.6 billion Danish crowns ($2.05 billion) boosting its military presence in the Arctic
Meanwhile, the EU also seems to help preserve the region under a number of pretexts, including security and climate change and has dug into its pocket for $236 million to assist Greenland with education. However, Europe has yet to commit to any significant investment to promote its security in Greenland, or to tap into its natural resources.
Since his re-election, Trump has reiterated his desire to acquire the Arctic Island. During a "horrendous 45-minute" phone call with the Danish prime minister, Metter Frederiksen, Trump called for the U.S. to take control of Greenland, threatening to wage an economic war against Denmark.
Earlier this month, Trump refused to rule out using economic or military coercion to take Greenland and the Panama Canal, which he also wants under U.S. control. The US president first proposed to acquire Greenland from Denmark in 2019, an offer which made waves around the international community.
The U.S. military has a permanent presence at the Pituffik Space Base on the northwest coast of Greenland since the Cold War, a strategic location for its ballistic missile system, as the shortest route from Europe to North America runs via the Island.
