Greenland: Sovereignty question is a 'red line'
By: Kim Hjelmgaard
USA Today
..... President Donald Trump insists the United States will effectively take ownership of U.S. military bases in Greenland, making them sovereign U.S. land, but a senior Greenlanic official described that scenario as a "red line."
.....
Naaja Nathanielsen has a sprawling government portfolio as minister of business, trade, mineral resources, justice and gender equality for the Arctic island that is a semiautonoous territory owned by NATO ally Denmark. Nathanielsen said January 25 [2026] that Greenland "giving up sovereignty is not on the table for now."
..... She also said her government had not been "presented with anything: following a turbulent diplomatic week that saw Trump walk back his threats to take control of the island by force.
..... Her comments follow what Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte have described as an agreed "framework deal" on Greenland amid escalating white House threats over the territory, in an announcement made January 21 [2026] at the World Economic forum in Davos, Switzerland.
..... But days after that announcement, top Greenlandic and European officials are still unclear about what Trump and Rutte agreed to in Davos. Details about the deal have not been disclosed. After the announcement, Trump abruptly scrapped tariffs he had threatened to impose on eight European nations that opposed his bid to control Greenland.
..... Nathanielsen stressed that NATO "does not have a jurisdiction or mandate" to discuss Greenland's sovereignty. Her comments align with statements made by Danish Prime Minster Mette Frederiksen. She said on January 22 [2026] that Denmark could negotiate with the United States on almost any issue related to Greenland, but "we cannot negotiate on our sovereignty."
..... Rutte said he did not raise the issue of Danish sovereignty over Greenland during his discussion with Trump. Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has also said that he is not in favor of any deal with the United States that would grant sovereignty for military bases.
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Still, in a series of statements and interviews about what could come next for Greenland, including one on January 23 with The New York Post, Trump signaled that taking ownership, of land in Greenland where American bases are located was what he expected to happen.
..... Trump has pressured Denmark for months to hand over the entire island and said nothing short of ownership would be acceptable to him.
..... The idea of giving the United States a sovereign claim to its bases in Greenland has also been raised with NATO and Western officials, according to a report in The New York Times. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for clarification on the matter.
..... Under the terms of a current U.S. - Denmark defense agreement, the Pentagon is permitted, subject to consent from Greenland and Denmark, to expand its military footprint in Greenland. trump has repeatedly argued the United States needs Greenland to counter threats from Russia and China.
..... Nathanielsen said in the interview that Greenland would "have no problem" with the idea of NATO adding a permanent mission to Greenland in the interest of boosting Arctic security.
..... "We still need to understand what and where the problems are that the U.S. sees," she said.