Greenlanders express fear, anger as Trump focuses on territory

“The people of Greenland don’t want to be Americans,” Mia Chemnitz told the BBC. “We’re not selling.”

The 32-year-old business owner in the Greenland capital Nuuk echoed the sentiments of many people interviewed by the BBC about the Trump administration’s recent comments.

The White House said it was “actively” discussing the proposal to buy the territory that has been Danish for centuries. U.S. President Donald Trump and his officials had earlier signaled a willingness to use force to seize the site if necessary.

This has caused tension and condemnation among Greenlanders – both on the world’s largest island and elsewhere.

The tensions have intensified since the United States launched an unprecedented military operation to bring Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to New York from his residence in Caracas on drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges.

Almost immediately after, the wife of a senior White House staffer said Greenland was next.

“That’s when it stopped feeling abstract,” said Tupaarnaq Kopeck, 40, who moved to Canada — another place Trump has threatened to annex — for family and work.

“I contacted my sister in Greenland for the first time and told her that if the unthinkable happened, they would have a place to live with us.”

Aja Chemnitz, one of two members of the Danish parliament representing Greenland, said she was “shocked” by the Trump administration’s comments, which were a “clear threat.”

“It is completely disrespectful for the United States to not rule out annexing our country and annexing another NATO ally,” she said.

Greenland is the most sparsely populated region in the world. Since most of the Arctic islands are covered in ice, most of the population lives in Nuuk and the surrounding southwestern coastline.

But it is of strategic importance to the United States—which is why the United States has stationed troops there since World War II.

Greenland’s location between North America and the Arctic makes it ideal for setting up an early warning system in the event of a missile attack.

There has also been growing interest recently in Greenland’s natural resources, including rare earth minerals, which are becoming increasingly accessible as climate change causes ice and snow to melt.

“It’s not interesting that 56,000 people are facing a threat, if you can call it that, from a big country like the United States,” said Masaana Egede, editor of the Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq.

“Greenlandic citizens are nervous about this because this is not something we take lightly.”

Experts generally agree A military takeover of Greenland would be a no-brainer for the United States, but the geopolitical fallout would effectively end the NATO alliance.

After White House raises Greenland issue again, six European allies Make a statement Says its future should be decided by its people – something Mia is grateful for.

But she worries it won’t mean much to the United States “if it’s not backed up by consequences and actions.”

“As a Greenlander, I can’t help but wonder: What value are we to these allies? How far are they willing to go to protect us?”

“Respect is more than just an alliance on paper. When powerful countries talk about you instead of being with you, that respect quickly disappears,” Tupanak said.

The Trump administration has emphasized its intention to buy Greenland from Denmark — although Copenhagen has reiterated that the territory is not for sale — while keeping military intervention as an option.

Aja believes that annexation by force is unlikely. Instead, “we will see that they will put pressure on us to ensure that they take over Greenland over time.”

Opinion polls consistently show Greenlanders generally support eventual independence from Denmark but oppose ownership by the United States. The territory is largely autonomous, with control of foreign affairs and defense retained by Copenhagen.

That may be why Aleqatsiaq Peary, a 42-year-old Inuit hunter who lives in the remote northern town of Karnak, seems unfazed by the prospect of American ownership.

“It will be a transition from one owner to another, from one occupier to another,” he said. “We are a colony under Danish rule. We have lost a lot because of the Danish government.”

But he said: “I don’t have time for Trump. Our people are in need,” and hunters like him hunt and fish with dogs on the sea ice, “but the sea ice is melting and hunters can no longer make a living.”

For Sermitsiaq editor Masaana, American rhetoric is driving a false binary choice.

“We really have to try to avoid having Greenland have to decide between the United States and Denmark, because that’s not the choice that the people of Greenland want.”

For others, there is a palpable sense of outrage at seeing Greenland’s already strong relationship with the United States deteriorate.

“The people of Greenland are very angry about this,” said Christian Kelsen of the Greenland Business Association.

“Greenlanders are welcoming and open, which is the best thing about the country. But now, some people are scared.”

Christian stressed that Greenland is open to the United States and pointed to new direct flights from Greenland to New York – a clear sign that “they don’t need to take over us.”

“We are a functioning democracy and our government has a strong mandate,” Mia said. “We are a NATO ally and the United States has had military bases in Greenland for more than 70 years and still has the right to build and operate new and additional military bases.

“As Greenland has said before: we are not for sale, but we are open for business.”