Denmark’s prime minister called on President Donald Trump to “stop threats” of the United States annexing Greenland. It comes after public comments by Trump and the wife of top adviser Stephen Miller attracted international attention.
“I have to say this very directly to the United States,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen wrote in a statement on X on Sunday.
“It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the United States needing to seize Greenland. The United States has no right to annex one of the three countries of the Danish Kingdom.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also issued a statement saying: “Our country is not the subject of superpower rhetoric. We are one people. One country. One democracy. This must be respected.”
In an interview published in The Atlantic On Sunday, Trump was asked about his repeated calls for the United States to annex Greenland in the name of national security, saying: “We need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense.”
President Donald Trump listens as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks at the Mar-a-Lago club, January 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Florida.
Alex Brandon/AP
On Saturday, Katie Miller, wife of Trump’s deputy chief of staff and national security advisor Stephen Miller, posted a photo on unknown of the American flag on the map of Greenland. She captioned the post: “SOON.”
Premier Nielsen made reference to “disrespectful social media posts” in his statement on Sunday.
“We are open to conversations. But it has to be through the right channels and with respect for international law. And the right channels are not random and disrespectful posts on social media,” he said.
Houses are pictured in Nuuk, Greenland, on June 15, 2025.
Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images
Last month, Trump named Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland, drawing scorn from Frederiksen and Nielsen.
“You cannot annex another country. Not even with an argument about international security,” the leaders said in a joint statement at the time. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and the United States will not take over Greenland.”
Greenland has been in the Kingdom of Denmark since the early 18th century, but was granted autonomy in 1979.
In his statement on Sunday, Frederiksen noted that Denmark, and Greenland by extension, are members of NATO, making them covered by the alliance’s security guarantee.
“Therefore, I strongly urge the United States to end threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have said very clearly that they are not for sale.”
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen looks on during a news conference following a European Council meeting in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 19, 2025, after European Union leaders agreed to provide Ukraine with a 90 billion euro loan to help cover budget deficits, but failed to reach an agreement on using frozen Russian assets to finance the package.
Nurphoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The speech around Greenland comes a day after the United States carried out ground attacks against Venezuela and the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife were captured and arrested.
They were taken to New York City, where they face a 4-count superseding indictment accusing them of conspiring with violent and dangerous drug traffickers over the past 25 years.
ABC News’ Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
