Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said U.S. officials have been disrespectful in how they’ve discussed their interest in taking over the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
“The talks from the United States have not been respectful,” he told reporters alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
“The words used have not been respectful. That’s why we need in this situation, we need to stand together,” he added.
The island “will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone,” Nielsen noted.
Trump was clear in a recent interview that he isn’t “trolling” when he talks about acquiring Greenland or turning Canada into America’s 51st state.
Regarding Greenland, the president has argued ownership would be vital for both national and international security.
"We have to have Greenland. It's not a question of: Do you think we can do without it? We can't," he said in the Oval Office last month. "If you look at Greenland right now, if you look at the waterways, you have Chinese and Russian ships all over the place, and we're not going to be able to do that.
"We're not relying on Denmark or anybody to take care of that situation," he added. "And we're not talking about peace for the United States, we're talking about world peace, we're talking about international security."
When the Danish prime minister was asked at the press conference whether she has plans to meet with Trump, she said "we always want to meet with the American president.”
Frederiksen emphasized that she believes they "have been very, very clear in what is the (Danish commonwealth’s) approach to all parts of the Kingdom of Denmark.”