❓WHAT HAPPENED: A senior Greenlandic cabinet minister rejected the idea of the U.S. acquiring military bases in Greenland as sovereign American territory, at least “for now.”
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Greenlandic cabinet minister Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, U.S. President Donald J. Trump, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Comments were made in an interview published Tuesday, following discussions at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Greenland giving up sovereignty is not on the table for now,” said Naaja Nathanielsen.
🎯IMPACT: The Greenlandic rejection suggests tensions remain over the future of Greenland, although the use of the words “for now” suggests the Greenlanders could still be persuaded by the right offer.
Naaja Nathanielsen, a senior Greenlandic cabinet minister, announced Tuesday that U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s push to acquire U.S. military bases on the island as sovereign American territory—a key provision in the framework deal agreed with NATO chief Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum—crosses a “red line.” In an interview with American media on Tuesday, Nathanielsen dismissed the notion of Greenland surrendering sovereignty “for now,” despite Trump’s claims that a new framework with NATO would effectively grant the U.S. ownership of its bases on the island, which is currently under Danish sovereignty. Notably, the United Kingdom has two Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus, negotiated before Cyprus became independent in the 1960s.
“Greenland giving up sovereignty is not on the table for now,” she stated, echoing Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen but using a form of words that suggests the Greenlanders could still be persuaded by the right offer. Nathanielsen also claims that her government was informed of discussions between Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte only after they had already occurred.
She emphasized that NATO “does not have a jurisdiction or mandate” to negotiate sovereignty. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reinforced this position, stating that while Denmark is open to discussions, “we cannot negotiate on our sovereignty.”
During an interview last week following the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos, Switzerland, President Trump asserted the United States would have “total access to Greenland” and “all the military access we want.” Currently, the U.S. military operates one base on the island, Pituffik Space Base, which houses around 150 personnel and a critical radar installation. A defense agreement already permits Washington to expand operations, but only with Greenlandic and Danish consent.
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