Greenland's Prime Minister demands independence from Denmark

Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede: “It's time for our country to take the next step.”

Prime Minister of Greenland Mute Egede in his New Year's speech called for the island's independence from the Kingdom of Denmark and for strengthening cooperation with other countries, hinting at the US-led Donald Trumpjust days after the president-elect's proposal to buy Greenland.

“It’s time to take a step forward and determine who we want to work closely with and who our trading partners will be,” – he said.

New US President Donald Trump officially proposed buy Greenland.

The United States believes that ownership and control of Greenland are an absolute necessity. “For reasons of national security and freedom throughout the world, the United States of America believes that ownership and control of Greenland is absolutely essential (to the United States)”— wrote a few days ago, not at all by chance, Trump on the Truth Social platform.

The Greenlandic independence movement has been gaining popularity in recent years, thanks in part to revelations about how Denmark managed Greenlandic affairs in the 20th century. Among them is the case of forced birth control in the 1960s.

Greenland was a colony of Denmark until 1953. It is currently a self-governing territory of Denmark, and in 2009 it gained the right to seek independence through a referendum. In 2023, the Greenlandic government presented a draft of its first constitution.

Trump knew why he chose this moment to request the acquisition of Greenland, which is geopolitically “shop around the corner”possessing incredible mineral reserves and direct access to Arctic resources, most of which are now controlled by Russia and Canada.

“History and the current situation have shown that our cooperation with the Kingdom of Denmark has not created conditions of equality,” – stated Mute Egede. “It’s time for our country to take the next step. Like other countries around the world, we must work to remove barriers to cooperation—what we might describe as the shackles of colonialism—and move forward.” “he added, noting that the decision on independence should be made by the population of Greenland, without specifying when the corresponding vote would take place.

Although the majority of Greenland's 57,000 residents support independence, there is disagreement over the timing and implications for living standards.

Greenland's government has rejected Trump's proposals to buy the island twice, in 2019 and last year. “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale.”

The Prime Minister did not mention Trump or the United States in his speech, but everyone understood that this was what he had in mind when talking about “cooperation”.

Despite its wealth of minerals, oil and natural gas, Greenland's economy is unstable and dependent on fishing and annual subsidies from Denmark. Denmark is a country that cannot fully utilize the resources of Greenland, since it does not have the means to do so and, most importantly, does not have the desire.

Parliamentary elections in Greenland will be held until April 6. In the coming years, Greenland will become the scene of events, as the Arctic will be the next flash point of tension between the two superpowers – Russia and the United States.

The rule of the strong becomes the fundamental right in international relations. Former US Ambassador to Denmark (under Trump) Carla Sands issued a base on Greenland:

The idea that little Denmark, which cannot even defend its own territory – a tiny state – can defend Greenland, is absurd.

The Hill: Putin will be happy – the annexation of Greenland to the United States will benefit Russia. This opinion was shared by American analyst Gregory Wallans. The newly elected American President Donald Trump some time ago shared plans to achieve the inclusion of the island of Greenland, which belongs to Denmark, into the United States. According to Gregory Wallans, no one knows how serious the intentions of the future head of the White House are. However, if he tries to implement his ideas, he will thus play into the hands of Moscow.

Denmark: Greenland will defend itself. Donald Trump's statements caused a sharp but controversial reaction in Europe. Denmark is rushing to allocate about $2 billion to strengthen Greenland's defenses. More Danish soldiers will be sent there and armed with drones and patrol boats.

“Apparently, we will have to defend ourselves from the United States, and the crisis around Greenland could seriously affect the military potential of the Pentagon. After all, it is on this island that [американская] Thule airbase with ballistic missile launch tracking systems. It’s expensive to take it out of Greenland.”

European leaders, with the habit of “looking into the mouth” of the United States, which has developed over recent years, do not yet know how to react to Trump’s statement. Some are ready to support the United States, such as Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The newspaper Avgi published a cartoon in which a man resembling the Prime Minister of Greece speaks on the phone: “Washington? Should I send you military assistance to liberate heroic Greenland?” The dog Peanut (Nut) is looking at its owner.

Others are silent so as not to anger Trump, others are cautiously trying to say that “this is not possible”… The establishment of the “original” American order on the North American continent is not limited today to Greenland and Panama. Canada also suffered, or rather, not so much to the northern neighbor of the United States as such, but to its Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trump indulged in fantasies that if Canada “becomes our 51st state, her taxes could be cut by more than 60%, her business would immediately double in size, and Canada would be militarily protected like no other country in the world.” At the same time, he suggested “replace” Trudeau with the famous Canadian hockey player Wayne Gretzky.

There won't be Gretzky – no big deal. There is Poilievre. A vote of confidence in the Trudeau government could take place as soon as next week, and then the November parliamentary elections scheduled for the fall will shift. A little more, and the current Canadian governor, as Trump calls him, may become just a memory…

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