Greenland tells Trump not for sale

Greenland has again said it is not for sale after US President-elect Donald Trump said he wants 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 that he first made several years ago.

Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark, is home to a large US space facility and lies on the shortest route from the US to Europe, meaning it is strategically important to America.

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

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

His comments drew a sharp 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 struggle for freedom. However, we must continue to be open to cooperation and trade with the whole world, especially with our neighbors,” he said.

Trump’s controversial remarks came hours after he announced his intention to nominate Ken Howery, his former ambassador to Sweden, to be the new ambassador to Denmark.

Mr Howery said he was “deeply humbled” by the nomination and looked forward to working with staff at the US Embassy in Copenhagen and the US Consulate in Greenland to “deepen the ties between our countries”.

Trump’s initial proposal in 2019 for the US to purchase Greenland, the world’s largest island, drew a similarly sharp rebuke from leaders.

Then-Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who still holds the role, called the idea “absurd,” leading Trump to cancel a state trip to the country.

He is not the first US president to offer to buy Greenland. The idea was first floated in the 1860s during the presidency of Andrew Johnson.

Separately, on Sunday, Donald Trump threatened to regain control of the Panama Canalone of the most important waterways in the world – accusing Panama of charging excessive fees for access to it.

The president of Panama later declared that “every square meter” of the canal and the surrounding area belonged to his country.