The United States’ stance towards Greenland has not altered, the premier for the Danish autonomous territory said Monday after a first meeting with President Donald Trump’s envoy to the island, who came to Nuuk without an official invite.
Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called the meeting with envoy Jeff Landry “constructive” — but noted there was “no sign … that anything has changed” with the U.S. position.
“It was a constructive meeting, where we were able to engage in dialogue in a positive spirit and with great mutual respect,” the Greenland premier told a media conference.
“We clearly reiterated that the people of Greenland are not for sale and that Greenlanders have the right to self-determination. This is not a subject for negotiation,” Nielsen stressed.
‘Red line’
Landry’s visit comes as transatlantic tensions over Trump’s repeated claims to the territory have receded somewhat but not gone away.
Greenland’s foreign minister, Mute Egede, also told reporters that the U.S. has not given up on its aims to acquire the territory.
“We have our red line. The Americans’ starting point has not changed either,” Egede said.
Landry’s visit also comes at a delicate time for Denmark, which has been without a government since a March 24 election, with negotiations between parties failing to produce a majority coalition.
In January, Trump backed down from repeated threats to seize Greenland, possibly through military force, after Denmark and other NATO allies displayed fierce resistance.
Afterwards, officials from Copenhagen and Nuuk held a first meeting in Washington and a working group was then established to discuss the U.S. position.
“Talks are taking place within the working group,” Egede emphasized. “We are not going to have parallel discussions.”
Trump has repeatedly argued the U.S. needs to control Greenland because of national security concerns, hypothesizing that if America does not take over the Arctic island then it could fall into the hands of China or Russia.
Landry, who is the governor of Louisiana, arrived for his first visit in the role as U.S. special envoy to Greenland on Sunday. He is due to take part in an economic forum in the Greenlandic capital on Tuesday and Wednesday.
At the airport, a small number of Greenlanders turned out on his arrival, holding Greenlandic flags in a form of protest, according to footage from local media.
Questioned by Danish broadcaster TV2, Landry said he was in Greenland to explore ways to strengthen the relationship with the United States.
He also said Trump had told him to “go over there and make a bunch of new friends.”
‘Not guinea pigs’
Landry is accompanied by a delegation of about 10 people, including a doctor tasked with assessing the health needs of Greenlanders, the broadcaster reported.
Greenlandic Health Minister Anna Wangenheim commented that “it is deeply problematic that people whose political mission is to make Greenland part of the United States are sending a so-called ‘volunteer doctor’ to Nuuk to ‘assess our needs'”.
“Greenlanders are not guinea pigs in a geopolitical project,” Wangenheim said in a post to Linkedin.
In February, an unsolicited offer by Trump to send a naval hospital ship to the Arctic island sparked ire.
Nielsen at the time wrote on his Facebook page: “That will be ‘no thanks’ from us.”
The U.S. envoy is also accompanied by the U.S. ambassador to Denmark, Kenneth Howery, who arrived on Monday.
“Together, they will meet with a wide range of Greenlanders to listen and learn with a goal of expanding economic opportunities, building people-to-people ties, and increasing understanding between the United States and Greenland,” said a U.S. embassy statement sent to AFP.
