Greenland heads the Arctic Council on behalf of Denmark

Greenland headed the Arctic Council instead of Denmark as a sign of a reset in relations with the kingdom. This was reported by The Guardian newspaper on Monday, May 12.

"Denmark was supposed to take over the presidency, but as a sign that Copenhagen is trying to reset its relations with Greenland, a former Danish colony that remains part of the Danish Kingdom, Greenland has assumed the presidency," the article says.

The Arctic Council requires the consensus of all eight Arctic states — the United States, Russia, Canada, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, including Greenland and Sweden — to make all decisions and statements, the newspaper said.

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Earlier, on May 4, US President Donald Trump did not rule out sending American troops to Greenland. The president also added that such an initiative could be undertaken with the aim of "claiming rights" to the island.

In December last year, Trump said that for the United States, ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity. Prior to that, he expressed interest in buying the island from Denmark in 2019, but was refused. In 2025, Trump was also told that the island was not for sale and would not be, but Denmark could cooperate more with the United States.

On March 30, Greenland's new prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, announced that the United States would not receive the island. He explained that Greenland does not belong to anyone. According to him, "it was like that yesterday, it is like that today, and it will be like that in the future."