The Prime Minister of Greenland has told the Arctic island’s residents to prepare for a military invasion amid Donald Trump’s takeover threats.
Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told a press conference in the capital of Nuuk on Tuesday that it was ‘not likely there will be a military conflict, but it can’t be ruled out.
‘That’s why we must be ready for all possibilities, but let’s emphasise this: Greenland is part of NATO and, if there were to be an escalation, it would also have consequences for the rest of the world.’
It comes after Denmark sent soldiers to Kangerlussuaq, the location of Greenland’s main international airport, on Monday evening and Trump’s crackdown on European allies on tariffs.
He has threatened to hit the UK and other European allies with 10% tariffs from February 1 unless they agree to his purchase of Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, and he has refused to rule out using military force to seize the island.
Overnight, Trump posted a series of images on his Truth Social account, with images showing Greenland as US territory.
The US president has warned that Russia and China pose a national security risk from the Arctic and has claimed Denmark is incapable of protecting Greenland.
Nielsen added his government has had good meetings with NATO and its allies and that all western countries should be united by ‘respect for national, territorial integrity (and) respect for international law.’
He pointed out that Greenland has been ‘a close ally of the United States to NATO many, many, many years’ and is ‘willing to cooperate much more.’
Speaking earlier at parliament in Copenhagen, Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen also stressed that Denmark had been a ‘loyal and close ally’ for many years, but “nevertheless, we are now being threatened by our closest ally.’
Fredriksen told party leaders during question time in parliament on Tuesday that ‘the worst may still be ahead of us.’
This is a breaking news story and is being updated.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
