Greenland's prime minister has pointed to increased global attention to the island

Greenland is in the center of world attention after the statement of US President-elect Donald Trump that the United States will take control of the island and may benefit from it. Greenlandic Prime Minister Muthe B. Egede said at a press conference on Monday, January 13.

"Powerful powers are knocking on the door. And so we must consider what we can accept in our country when it comes to cooperation," the Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq quoted him as saying.

He pointed out, however, that only Greenlandic citizens should have control over the island and choose their future.

"I would like to repeat again and again that we do not want to be Danes or to be Americans. The future of Greenland is decided in Greenland and by the citizens of Greenland," he concluded.

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Earlier, on January 10, Egede recalled that Greenland is part of the North American continent and the United States sees it as a kind of "backyard" where the entire continent will be protected. The politician added that the island's authorities "cooperated with the US yesterday, today and will also cooperate with them tomorrow."

On the same day, Trump published a video on the social network Truth Social, where Greenlanders ask him to buy the island. The video shows some of the islanders wearing MAGA caps and answering questions. The video was shot by a group of the politician's son, who had previously visited the island. It was later reported that more than half of Greenland's population, according to a poll, is in favor of the island joining the US.

Reacting to this, Danish media said that the participants in the video were vulnerable citizens bribed by a hotel dinner. It was reported that one of the locals was an eyewitness to the Trump team's attempts to get Greenlanders to praise the president-elect on camera.

Trump said that for the US "ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity" on December 22, 2024, announcing the appointment of an ambassador to Denmark. Prior to that, the U.S. politician had expressed interest in buying Greenland from Denmark in 2019, but was turned down. In the coming year, Trump was also indicated that the island is not for sale and will not be sold, but Denmark can cooperate more with the United States.