Trump Discussed Greenland in Call With Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen

Donald Trump confirmed his interest in acquiring Greenland for the US, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said following a 45-minute phone call with the incoming US president on Wednesday.

“There is no doubt that there is great interest in and around Greenland,” Frederiksen said in an interview with broadcaster TV2 after the phone call. “Based on the conversation I had today, there is no reason to believe that it should be less than what we have heard in the public debate.”

The Wednesday call is the first time Frederiksen and Trump have spoken since the president-elect last week reiterated his plans to take over Greenland, a self-ruling territory of Denmark, and wouldn’t rule out using military or economic coercion to achieve his goal.

Both Frederiksen and Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute B. Egede have said the Arctic island is not for sale, a point the Danish premier also stressed in her phone call with Trump, according to a statement from her office.

A Trump spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the conversation, Frederiksen “argued that it is up to Greenland itself to decide on independence,” the statement said. She also emphasized the importance of strengthening security in the Arctic and is open to allowing the US to increase its military presence in Greenland.

“We are of course in the process of establishing a good working relationship with the new administration,” Frederiksen told national broadcaster DR. “We have worked on that for a while. We have intensified that.”