While Trump makes no secret of his desire to purchase the entire island, the island itself seeks independence from Denmark.
Greenland’s Prime Minister, Mute Egede, emphasized the goal of achieving independence from Denmark, its former colonial ruler, in his New Year’s address. This marks a significant shift in rhetoric regarding the future of the Arctic island.
The 39-year-old Prime Minister’s speech came after the newly re-elected United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump expressed his interest in “ownership and control” of Greenland. Egede envisions Greenland cooperating with other nations.
“It’s time for us to take this step ourselves and shape our future, including deciding who we will cooperate with and who will be our trading partners,” he said.
The independence movement in Greenland has been growing in recent years, partly fueled by revelations about Danish government policies in the 20th century, such as a forced contraception campaign in the 1960s.
Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953 and is now a self-governing territory of Denmark. In 2009, it gained the right to declare independence through a referendum. In 2023, the Greenlandic government presented its first draft constitution.
“History and current circumstances have shown us that cooperation with the Kingdom of Denmark has not succeeded in achieving full equality,” Egede stated.
“Now is the time for our country to take the next step. Like other nations in the world, we must work to remove the barriers to cooperation, which we can describe as the chains of colonialism, and move forward,” he added.
He emphasized that it is up to Greenland’s people to decide on independence but did not specify when a vote might take place.
While the majority of Greenland’s 57.000 residents support independence, opinions are divided over when it should be declared and the potential consequences such a decision might have on living standards.
Greenland’s government has twice rejected Trump’s offers to buy the island, once in 2019 and again last year.
Egede stated that “Greenland is theirs,” that it “is not for sale and never will be.”
In his speech, he did not mention Trump or the U.S. Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, is closer to New York than to Copenhagen.
Despite its vast reserves of minerals, oil, and natural gas, Greenland’s economy remains fragile and heavily dependent on fishing and Danish subsidies.
The island will hold parliamentary elections before April 6th.
