Greenland is ready to talk.
Responding Monday to the earthquake that started last week by President-elect Donald J. Trump, who thought about taking over a large island in the Arctic Ocean, the prime minister of Greenland said that the area would like to work closely with the United States for defense and natural resources.
“The truth is that we will cooperate with the US – yesterday, today and tomorrow,” Prime Minister Múte Egede said at a news conference in Nuuk, Greenland’s snow-covered capital.
But he was adamant: The Greenlanders did not want to be Americans.
“We have to be very smart in the way we do it,” he said, adding, “The power struggles between the great powers are growing and now they are knocking on our door.”
Mr. Trump has refused to rule on whether to use economic or military force to reverse the Panama Canal and annex Greenland, a Danish territory he proposed buying during his first term in office. Then, right now, Greenland and Denmark say the island is not for sale. The leaders of Panama also dismissed the threat.
Mr. Egede said on Monday “we are all shocked” by the words of Mr. Trump, underscored by the surprise and mysterious visit of the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., to the island on the same day. .
Mr. The young Trump made a quick sightseeing trip, saying he was on private business, and since then, headlines around the world have been talking about Greenland.
Most of Greenland is covered in ice, only about 56,000 people live here and, until recently, the island was best known for its icebergs and polar bears. As climate change melts the Arctic ice, the region has been quietly encroaching on world powers.
The United States, Russia, European countries, China and others are eyeing Arctic shipping lanes and mineral resources that are no longer considered inaccessible.
The island has been tied to Denmark for centuries, first as a colony and now as a separate territory that has gained a greater degree of independence in recent years. Denmark still controls the island’s foreign affairs and defense policy.
But increasing interest from international powers has coincided with Greenland’s quest for independence, and that bite has become even stronger. At the same time, many people here are reluctant to completely cut ties with Denmark because of the hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies that Denmark provides each year.
In Nuuk, where it was zero degrees Fahrenheit on Monday afternoon, many people were anxiously waiting to hear what the prime minister had to say.
“Whatever happens, there’s no turning back,” said Aviaq Kleist, owner of a restaurant in Nuuk Center, the city’s largest shopping mall, which has several stores. He joked that maybe Mr. Egede will just declare independence.
Mr. Egede did not – he danced around the question, saying that the country was working continuously to reach the goal but “different groups have different ideas.” (There is also a clear independence process involving a survey, if that happens.)
The prime minister also expressed dismay at comments made by JD Vance, the incoming vice president, on the Fox News show this weekend. Although Mr. Vance did not rule out the military, saying, “We don’t need to use the military” because “we already have the military in Greenland,” his voice was happy as he talked about the “amazing natural resources” of Greenland. and “a deal to be made.”
The United States has been interested in Greenland for years. During World War II, it established bases here, and after the war, it tried to buy Greenland from Denmark, which it refused. Today, the US military operates the Pituffik Space Base, which specializes in missile defense, at the northern end of the island.
In Nuuk on Monday, people appeared to stand with the prime minister, expressing a mixture of hope and caution. Many say they don’t want to be swallowed up by the United States. But they wanted a strong relationship with America.
“What we really need is more cooperation and trade,” said Nielseeraq Berthelsen, a fisherman. He worked in a frozen seafood market, selling whale skins and scarlet water mutton.
He said he was walking in a shopping mall last week when someone suddenly approached him and invited him to a special dinner.
The next thing he knew, he said, he was shaking Mr. Trump’s hand.
“He was very enthusiastic,” said Mr. Berthelsen, who was standing in the air so cold that his eyes glazed over as he spoke. “He had good energy.”
Ivik Kristiansen contributed reporting.
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