Greenland should hold direct talks with the US government without Denmark, a Greenlandic opposition leader told Reuters, as the Arctic island considers how to respond to renewed pressure from President Donald Trump to place it under US control.
Trump has recently stepped up threats to take over Greenland, reviving an idea he first floated in 2019 during his first term, although he faces strong opposition to the idea in Washington, including within his own party.
Greenland is strategically located between Europe and North America, making it a key location for the US ballistic missile defense system. Its rich mineral resources also fit into Washington's goal of reducing dependence on China.
The island is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. It has its own parliament and government, but Copenhagen retains responsibility for foreign affairs and defense.
"We encourage our current (Greenlandic) government to actually have a dialogue with the US government without Denmark," said Pele Broberg, leader of Nalerak, the largest opposition party and the most prominent political voice for Greenlandic independence.
"Because Denmark, through its mediation, antagonizes both Greenland and the US."
All Greenlandic parties want independence, but differ on how and when to achieve it. Nalerak, which strongly advocates a rapid move towards full independence, doubled its number of seats to eight in last year's elections, winning 25 percent of the vote in a country of just 57.000 people.
Although not part of the ruling coalition, the party has said it wants a defense agreement with Washington and could pursue a "free association" arrangement - under which Greenland would receive American support and protection in exchange for military rights, without becoming a US territory.
The government says direct talks are not possible.
The Danish and Greenlandic governments did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment on Broberg's statements.
However, Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivienne Motsfeld told the daily Sermitsiak on Wednesday that Greenland cannot hold direct talks with the US without Denmark, as it is not legally allowed to do so.
"We have rules on how issues are resolved in the Kingdom," she said.
The Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to meet next week.
"My greatest hope is that the meeting will lead to the normalization of our relationship," Motsfeld told Sermitsiak.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen posted a photo online of the coffin of a Danish soldier being carried out of a church - a soldier who, according to the ministry, was killed in Afghanistan in 2011 - highlighting Denmark's contribution as a US ally.
"First in Afghanistan and then in Iraq, Danish soldiers fought side by side with our allies... Many capable, heroic soldiers paid the ultimate price," he wrote.
In a rare move, the Tivoli amusement park in central Copenhagen today displayed the Greenlandic flag.
However, Denmark and Greenland are trying to get the discussion back on diplomatic track, said Ulrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies. "The strategy is to bring Trump's undiplomatic social media posts back into stable diplomatic channels," he said, according to Reuters.
NATO ambassadors in Brussels discussed Greenland on Monday and agreed that the alliance should strengthen Arctic security, sources said. "No drama," said a senior NATO diplomat. "A lot of agreement that NATO should accelerate the development of a stronger deterrent presence in the region."
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc was considering a response if the US plans materialised. "The messages we are hearing are extremely worrying," she said.
Different views in Washington
Top Trump administration officials appear to have different views on how to achieve the goals. Rubio, according to the French foreign minister, does not seem to be a supporter of military action.
Many of Trump's Republican colleagues in the US Congress have dismissed talk of buying Greenland or taking it by force. "Greenland is not part of America and we can't just take it because we want to. That would be a colossal mistake. That would end NATO," said Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski in a speech on the Senate floor.
Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chairman of the powerful Armed Services Committee, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, met today with the Danish Ambassador to Washington, Jesper Møller Sorensen, and Greenland Representative Jacob Isbosetsen.
Sahin told reporters that the US should not try to acquire Greenland, while Wicker said Washington's focus could be on higher geopolitical priorities, such as threats from Russia and China.
However, other US officials say the military option is still on the table.
"We have made sure and we will make sure that we defend America's interests," US Vice President J.D. Vance said in an interview with Fox News, broadcast late last night. "And I think the president is willing to go to any lengths to make sure that happens."
Bonus video:
