Greenland devastated by Trump’s takeover threats: business minister
Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s minister for industry, raw materials, mining, energy, law enforcement and equality, addresses MPs in the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) chamber in Parliament House, Westminster, organized by the APPG for Greenland following the US threat to take over the territory.
James Manning – Pa Pictures | Pa Pictures | Getty Images
Greenlanders were “stunned” by US President Donald Trump’s “destructive” attempt to annex the Arctic island, the business minister told CNBC, adding that the issue had become a geopolitical storm.
Speaking to CNBC on Tuesday ahead of Trump’s speech at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Minister of Commerce and Mineral Resources Naaja Nathanielsen said the international attention was “pretty devastating” for about 57,000 Greenlanders.
Asked how people in Greenland felt as Trump followed the candidate, Nathanielsen replied: “People are worried, people are afraid, people are confused.”
“[We have] “We have always considered ourselves an ally of the United States and have tried to meet the needs of the United States over the years, and we have gladly done so,” Nathanielsen said via video call.
“It’s really hard for us to suddenly find ourselves in the middle of a storm of seizing something like a product or property, not to mention threats of military action and actual occupation of our country.”
His comments come as the US president steps up efforts to seize self-governing Danish territory. A “must” for US national security. Asked Monday by NBC whether he would use military force to take over, he said “no comment.”
“There can be no turning back,” Trump said of his plans in a social media post on Tuesday.
The US president on Saturday vowed to impose a wave of increasing tariffs on eight European countries starting February 1 because they oppose the US acquisition of Greenland.
“It is really difficult for us to suddenly find ourselves in the middle of a storm aimed at seizing a product or a property.”
Naaja Nathanielsen
Minister of Trade and Mineral Resources of Greenland
European political leaders are expected to try to push back and hold talks in the coming days on how to respond. On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron called Trump’s tariff threats “fundamentally unacceptable”, while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the move “completely wrong”.
Nathanielsen told CNBC that European political leaders were “really moved by the strong show of solidarity.” “You can’t accept a plan where you have to accept that one ally is invading another ally,” he said.
‘A threat we have never seen before’
Recently, there were protests in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, and in Copenhagen, Denmark, with people marching with red and white Greenlandic flags.
opinion polls shown While Greenlanders overwhelmingly oppose US control, a strong majority supports independence from Denmark.
People wave Greenlandic flags as they take part in a demonstration that brought together nearly a third of the city’s population to protest the US President’s plans to take Greenland in Nuuk, Greenland, on January 17, 2026.
Alessandro Rampazzo | Afp | Getty Images
Nathanielsen said: “We’ve always known that our position in the world causes some tensions geographically. We’re used to that. We used to be a colony of Denmark. So we’re no strangers to complexity, controversy and conflict – but we’ve always found ways to adapt and work with the situation.
“And right now, I think we’re facing a threat like we’ve never seen before. So I’m absolutely certain that if we were invaded, it would mean the destruction of our culture. And I find that quite devastating.”
Nathanielsen said the island’s lawmakers would seek greater clarity on how to adapt without being “swallowed” by the United States.
“The threat of invasion is devastating for us. It’s definitely not something we can work on,” Nathanielsen said. he said.
“So we do not want to be bought out. We have made this clear. Of course, we do not want to be occupied; which country in the world wants this? But we want dialogue. We want cooperation. And we want to lower the temperature,” he added.
What’s next for Greenland?
In 2009, Greenland was granted greater autonomy in its internal affairs through the Self-Government Act; This law also gave the island the right to hold an independence referendum. Denmark remains responsible for foreign, defense and security policies.
Most political parties in Greenland support independence but disagree on when and how to achieve it. The independence movement became a balancing act between the island’s ultimate goal of self-determination and the need for Danish financial support for basic services such as health and education.
Speaking to CNBC earlier this month, Aaja Chemnitz, a lawmaker who represents Greenland in the Danish Parliament, said Greenlanders “wanted to make sure we weren’t dehumanized, which I think in this case we were.”
“People are resilient,” Chemnitz told CNBC on January 8. “And I think it’s important to remember that, of course, you can’t buy a country, but you also can’t buy the population.”
