Officials in Greenland announced Monday that diplomatic discussions with the United States have shown positive developments, while firmly rejecting any possibility of selling the Arctic territory to America.
Jeff Landry, the U.S. special envoy designated by President Donald Trump last year to pursue American control of Greenland, touched down in Nuuk on Sunday and conducted meetings Monday with Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Foreign Minister Mute Egede.
“We believe there is progress, and from Greenland’s side we are focused on finding a solution that is good for us all, and most importantly that threats of annexation, takeover or a purchase of Greenland and the Greenlandic people does not occur,” Nielsen stated to the press following his session with Landry.
Landry did not issue an immediate response, though he had previously informed local news outlets on Sunday that his mission was to “listen and learn”.
President Donald Trump’s demands that America must obtain or control Greenland, which operates as a semi-autonomous Danish territory, have created diplomatic friction between Washington and Copenhagen, despite both nations being founding NATO allies, and have generated broader concerns throughout Europe.
“They asked for a meeting, and we’ve explained our situation and standpoint, and that we have some red lines — we will not sell Greenland, we will own Greenland for all time,” Egede declared.
In an effort to reduce diplomatic strain, Greenland, Denmark and the United States reached an agreement earlier this year to conduct high-level diplomatic negotiations aimed at resolving the dispute, though results from these continuing discussions have not yet been announced.
America seeks to expand its military footprint in Greenland and incorporate it into President Donald Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” defensive network designed to protect against nuclear threats.
The United States maintains one operational base in Greenland currently, the Pituffik Space Base located in the northwest region, a significant reduction from approximately 17 installations in 1945 when thousands of American military personnel operated facilities across the island.
