Greenland tells Trump it is not for sale

Greenland has again said it is not for sale after US President-elect Donald Trump said he wanted to take control of the territory.

“Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland,” its prime minister said Monday, a day after Trump repeated comments about the Arctic island he first made several years ago.

Greenland, which is a Danish autonomous territory, is home to a large American space facility and is located on the shortest route from the United States to Europe, meaning it is strategically important to the United States.

There was no immediate response to Trump’s comments from Denmark.

Writing on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Sunday, the US president-elect said: “For purposes of national security and freedom around the world, the United States of America feels that ownership and control of Greenland is a absolute necessity.”

His comments prompted a harsh rebuke from Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede, who said: “We are not for sale and we will not be for sale.”

“We must not lose our long fight for freedom. However, we must remain open to cooperation and trade with everyone, especially our neighbors,” he said.

Trump’s controversial comments came hours after he announced that he intended to nominate Ken Howery, his former ambassador to Sweden, as the new ambassador to Denmark.

Howery said he was “deeply honored” by the nomination and looked forward to working with staff at the U.S. embassy in Copenhagen and the U.S. consulate in Greenland to “deepen the ties between our countries.”

Trump’s original suggestion in 2019 that the United States acquire Greenland, which is the world’s largest island, drew a similarly harsh rebuke from leaders there.

Then-Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederickson, who is still in office, called the idea “absurd,” prompting Trump to cancel a state trip to the country.

He is not the first American president to suggest buying Greenland. The idea was first mooted during the 1860s under President Andrew Johnson.

Separately on Sunday, Donald Trump He threatened to reassert control over the Panama Canal.one of the most important waterways in the world, accusing Panama of charging excessive fees for access to it.

Panama’s president later said that “every square meter” of the canal and its surroundings belonged to his country.