Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen warned Monday that the United States still wants to control the Arctic island, even as President Donald Trump appears to have backed away from earlier threats of military action.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen attends a session of the parliament in Latter, Greenland, February 2, 2026. Reuters/Stoan Nenov (Reuters)”The view on Greenland and the population has not changed: Greenland will be tied to the United States and governed from there,” Nielsen said through a translator in a speech to parliament, Reuters news agency reported. Greenland’s prime minister said Washington was still “looking for a way to own and control Greenland.”
US President Trump earlier in the year called for US control over Greenland, citing national interests and security concerns linked to Russia and China. The United States did not initially rule out military action, which caused a rift in the NATO alliance.
Also Read | Nipah Outbreak in Trump-Greenland Tensions: What New Timeline Means for ‘Doomsday Clock’
However, Trump has since signaled a de-escalation and backed away from threats of force, saying he has guaranteed full US access to Greenland in the NATO treaty. However, the US President did not say anything in detail about it.
Talks underway for ‘very important’ Greenland deal, Trump saysMeanwhile, US President Trump said on Saturday that a deal on Greenland was under discussion and the parties would reach an agreement soon.
“We’ve started a discussion, and I think it’s pretty well agreed upon. I mean, they want us to do it,” Trump said in response to a question from a reporter aboard Air Force One, ANI reported.
“I think it’s going to be a good deal for everybody, actually a very important deal, from a national security perspective, a very, very important deal. I think we’re going to have a deal there,” the US president added.
But Trump did not specify whether he had recently spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European leaders.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said Thursday that initial talks between Denmark, Greenland and the United States went “well,” with top officials agreeing to establish a “working group” to discuss Arctic security, Politico reported.
“There was a huge derailment after that,” Rasmussen said of Trump’s threat of military action. “Things escalated, but now we’re back on track,” Politico quoted the Danish minister as saying.
