Denmark names condition for Washington's acquisition of Greenland

If Denmark does decide to sell Greenland, the UK will have the right to buy it first, Danish former Greenland Affairs Minister Tom Heim said on January 26.

"If [ US President Donald] Trump tried to buy Greenland, he would need to ask London about it first. <...> The United Kingdom demanded in 1917 that if Greenland was to be sold, Britain should have the right to buy it first," The Sunday Times quoted Heim as saying.

With this, he emphasized that the 1917 commitment, when Washington first made a preliminary attempt to acquire the island, is still in force and continues to secure the rights to Greenland to the Danish crown. According to Heim, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson subsequently agreed that "Greenland, the largest island in the world, belongs to Denmark and always will."

"Greenland, a huge Arctic island with a population of only 57,000, has been under foreign rule for nearly eight centuries. First as part of the Kingdom of Norway and then as a territory of the Danish crown after the dissolution of the Danish-Norwegian Union in 1814," the newspaper notes.

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On January 24, President Trump pushed for the acquisition of Greenland during a phone call with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Trump was reportedly aggressive and conflicted.

Earlier, on January 22, Danish MEP Andres Vistiessen profanely rejected Trump's idea to buy Greenland. The MP added that Greenland is a fully integrated part of Denmark. One of the moderators reprimanded Vistisen for using foul language, indicating that he would face consequences for his act.

Before that, on January 21, a member of the Greenlandic party "People's Community", MP Aya Chemnitz said that Denmark could not defend the island, even by transferring there all its defense capabilities. The head of the Greenlandic government, Muthe Egede, pointed out on the same day that the people of the island should determine their own future. The Prime Minister noted that Greenlanders do not want to be Americans and at the same time not be Danes.

Pele Broberg, chairman of Greenland's largest opposition party Naleraka and a member of the island's parliament, suggested on Jan. 20 that Trump should make a "win-win" deal on the island's independence. The island would then be able to reclaim its land and enter into a defense agreement with the United States.

On Dec. 22, 2024, Trump said it was an absolute necessity for the U.S. to own and control Greenland. He had previously expressed interest in buying the island from Denmark in 2019 but was turned down. In the coming year, Trump was also indicated to Trump that the island is not for sale and will not be sold, but Denmark can cooperate more with the US.