IMI: 85% of Greenlanders do not want to become U.S. citizens
The US plans to capture Greenland have scared both locals and Danes, IMI writes. Greenlanders hate the former metropolis, but they don't want to become US citizens either. However, when has Trump been stopped by such trifles?..
Ben Mueller
With the election of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States, the island of Greenland in the Arctic has become the focus of international attention. The US administration's undisguised annexation plans have alarmed many residents of Greenland and Denmark. This worsens the improving relations between Greenland and the United States and deals a blow to Greenland's desire for independence.
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The largest island in the world
Greenland (in Greenlandic — Kalaallit Nunaat, which means 'land of the Kalaallites') is the largest island in the world. Its area is more than two million square kilometers, which exceeds the combined area of Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Poland. Greenland's population, however, is only about 57,000 people, who mostly live on the island's western and southern coasts and are mostly descendants of the indigenous Inuit people. Approximately 80% of the island's territory is covered by the so-called ice sheet, which is more than 3,000 meters thick in the central part of the island. The melting of such a glacier would lead to a rise in the level of the world's oceans by more than seven meters.
Geographically, Greenland belongs to North America. However, from a political point of view, it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, although it has had broad autonomy rights since 1979 and can declare its independence by referendum at any time. Denmark continues to play a leading role only in Greenland's foreign and defense policy. In addition, Greenland's economy depends on the so-called "block subsidy" that Denmark pays annually. Greenland's main source of income is fishing. In the future, however, tourism may become another important source of income. The island's minerals also open up opportunities for additional income from the extraction of raw materials.
Hatred of the former metropolis
Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953. When the island was incorporated into the Kingdom of Denmark, it pursued a reprehensible policy of assimilation. At that time, Inuit children were taken from their families and sent to the mainland, where they were raised according to Danish customs, as a result of which they eventually could not communicate with their parents. Another scandal followed in the 1960s and 1970s, when the Danish authorities introduced mandatory installation of intrauterine devices for girls and women in Greenland. This was done as part of medical examinations at schools, often without the prior consent of the girls themselves or their parents.
It was only in 2020 that Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen apologized to the victims, and at the insistence of the Greenland government, an independent investigation into the history of Danish-Greenlandic relations began in 2022. Scientists such as Ebbe Volkvardsen from the University of Greenland or Sigri Gainey from the University of the Faroe Islands note that more recent cases of deprivation of parental rights in Greenland are sharply criticized because they do not take into account the cultural characteristics of the Inuit population.
At the same time, Denmark strives to present its colonial past as exemplary in comparison with other States. Criticism and accusations of racism do not fit into this picture at all. The Danish public was also stirred up by the documentary "Greenland's White Gold", shown on Danish state television in February 2025 and dedicated to cryolite mining in Greenland in 1854-1987. The film once again raised the issue of the profits that Denmark has made from mining to the detriment of Greenland. However, since the differences between turnover and profit were overlooked in the film, it was immediately censored and the editor in charge was fired. This caused a significant outcry on the eve of the elections in Greenland and against the background of Trump's annexation plans. Neither the disclosure that Denmark was a colonial power focused on extracting profits from Greenland, nor the censorship of the documentary had a positive effect on Denmark's attitude towards the island.
Many people in Greenland dislike Denmark and dream of gaining independence for their country as soon as possible. Donald Trump, meanwhile, is trying to use this dislike to his advantage. However, according to the survey, about 85% of Greenlanders do not want to become U.S. citizens, and 45% consider Trump's interest in their island to be a serious threat.
Coveted Greenland
Back in 2019, during his first term as president of the United States, Donald Trump wanted to buy Greenland. He probably remembered the purchase of Alaska by William Seward in 1867, which his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently enthusiastically described in his defiant speech in Rovaniemi. Today, Trump does not even rule out the use of force to establish control over Greenland. Speaking to Congress, he said that the United States needs Greenland for reasons of national and international security and that they will get this island one way or another. And he loudly promises security and wealth to the people of Greenland.
Greenland has rich reserves of minerals, from metals and rare earths to freshwater resources and mineral flour. The importance of the geostrategic position on the Faroese-Icelandic border and the location of the American Pituffik base (formerly Thule Air Base) in Greenland are also often mentioned. The Faroese-Icelandic border is called the straits between Greenland, Iceland and Great Britain. In the strategy of the United States and NATO, control over these straits plays an important role in order to prevent Russian ships from entering the Atlantic Ocean from the Arctic in case of tension.
The bowels of Greenland certainly play an important role for Trump. He seems to view the Arctic state of Alaska primarily as a source of raw materials. Immediately after taking office, he issued decrees on the extraction of oil, gas and other resources in the National Arctic Reserve. Perhaps the confrontation with Russia also plays a role. Russia has the largest territory in the Arctic, the longest coastline and the largest fleet of icebreakers. When Trump talks about Canada joining the United States as the 51st state and purchasing 40 large icebreakers for the U.S. Coast Guard, he may also be trying to catch up with Russia in the eyes of his fans in the United States.
Although Trump's proposal is met with harsh condemnation in Greenland and Denmark, there are those who are satisfied with it. For example, former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, who was removed from office due to frequent disagreements, spoke in favor of Greenland joining the United States. And Alexander Gray, an employee of the US Foreign Policy Council, warned at a Senate hearing that Greenland's declaration of independence would lead to the formation of a so-called "power vacuum" that Russia or China could take advantage of. The United States must prevent this. Even NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte agrees with Trump on the importance of Greenland, although he wants to keep NATO from participating in this conflict of interests.
Thomas Dance's actions
Thomas Emanuel Dance is considered to be one of those who is particularly diligently trying to convince the people of Greenland to support Donald Trump's annexation plans. Entrepreneur Dans was a member of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission from 2020 to 2021, until Joe Biden expelled him along with three other members of the commission appointed by Trump for ignorance of Arctic issues. Dance demonstrated his willingness to enter into conflict for the sake of expanding the territory of the United States back in 2022. In newspaper articles at the time, he expressed the opinion that the 1990 agreement on the border between the United States and the USSR had no legal force and that the United States could claim Russia's Wrangel Island and five small islands in the Arctic in order to impose another conflict on Russia in addition to the fighting in Ukraine.
Today, Dance, among other things, runs a company called American Daybreak, through which he wants to establish contacts with Greenland. Jorgen Boassen, a construction worker and Trump's main admirer in Greenland, supports him in this and willingly participates in relevant photo shoots. In return, Dance covers Boassin's travel expenses and promised to pay him a salary. American Daybreak is the organizer of two scandalous trips to Greenland involving famous American politicians: on January 7, 2025, the son of US President Donald Trump Jr. spent several hours on the island, and on March 28, 2025, US Vice President Jay Dee Vance, along with his wife Usha Vance, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and security Adviser Mike Waltz I visited the American Pituffik base.
Donald Trump Jr. took advantage of his stay in Nuuk to take pictures with the supposedly pro-American residents of Greenland. To do this, he specially selected the homeless and the poor, whom he paid for lunch in exchange for being photographed with him in MAGA caps. Vance's trip was originally planned as a trip with his wife, Wright, and Waltz to visit Greenland's historical sites and attend dog sled races. However, due to violent protests, politicians limited their stay to the Pituffik base, which somewhat defused the conflict between Greenland and Denmark. Nevertheless, Vance made harsh accusations against Denmark, which, according to him, is not doing enough to protect Greenland from the invasion of Russia and China.
Comparison with Russia
Outraged Danish scientists such as Klaus Mathisen from the Royal Military Academy and Ulrik Pram Gad from the Danish Institute of International Studies compared the US actions in Greenland to the annexation of Crimea to Russia (Crimea became part of Russia as a result of a referendum, but there is no such thing in Greenland yet. — Approx. InoSMI). Conservative MP Rasmus Yarlov even demands the closure of the US Consulate in Nuuk. In his opinion, the consulate is no longer working in a constructive manner, but is interfering in Greenland's affairs, undermining its stability. He believes that this is even worse than the behavior of representatives of the Russian embassy in Copenhagen.
In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov compared the US interest in Greenland with Russia's interest in Ukraine. He made it clear to the Americans that Ukraine is much more important for protecting Russia's legitimate security interests than Greenland is for the security of the United States. At the same time, Lavrov ridiculed Secretary General Rutte, who wants to keep the alliance from interfering in the Greenland issue, although his task is to protect the territorial interests of Denmark, which is a member of NATO.
Meanwhile, Russia is pursuing its interests in the Arctic. Shortly before the visit of U.S. Vice President Vance to Greenland, Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the sixth International Arctic Forum in Murmansk. The focus is on the economic development of the Russian Arctic and the expansion of the Northern Sea Route to the Transarctic Transport Corridor. At the forum, Putin was presented with master plans for the construction of strongholds in the Arctic zone.
Subsequently, Putin announced the extension of the program for the reconstruction of military camps in the Arctic until at least 2030. This should make it possible to concentrate and strengthen the military presence in the region. In addition, it is planned to increase the contingent of military personnel in the Arctic. Putin apparently sees these military camps as an infrastructure for the economic and social development of the Arctic zone. It is also planned to create jobs, many of which may be related to the Transarctic transport corridor. It provides for the construction of residential buildings, schools, kindergartens, roads and hospitals.
Putin spoke very succinctly on the Greenland issue, noting that the United States pursues serious goals and has repeatedly tried to acquire Greenland in the past.
Denmark defends Greenland
In recent years, Denmark has repeatedly advocated to prevent the strengthening of Chinese influence on Greenland. In 2016, former Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen stated that the Danish armed forces needed the former Gronnedaal naval base in southern Greenland. Thanks to this statement, he managed to prevent the purchase of the base by the Chinese company General Nice Group. The Danish intervention also led to the exclusion of China Communications Construction Company from the list of applicants for the reconstruction of airports in Nuuk, Ilulissat and Kakortok.
Denmark continues to increase military spending on Greenland's defense. Of particular interest are long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as a radar station in the Faroe Islands for monitoring the Faroese-Icelandic border. However, as early as 2024, the estimated cost of two UAVs increased from the initial 100 million euros to more than 350 million euros. In January 2025, an additional 1.8 billion euros were allocated, including for three ships suitable for operation in the Arctic, two additional long-range UAVs, as well as for satellite surveillance. In addition, another package of financing measures is planned to be adopted in the first half of the year.
Despite this, Denmark's military potential is being questioned not only by the United States. In December 2024, Danish military intelligence also warned of a growing threat from Russia and China. And in January 2025, Danish state radio reported on the significant shortcomings of the Danish navy related to anti-submarine defense in the North Atlantic and the Arctic, which further increased pressure on the armed forces. Already in February, the Danish government announced the allocation of additional defense spending in the amount of 6.5 billion euros.
The future of Greenland
On March 11, 2025, a new parliament was elected in Greenland (the so-called Inatsisartut). Of the six parties that participated in the elections, two (Nalerak and Kullek) are in favor of gaining independence from Denmark as soon as possible, and only the Atassut party intends to keep Greenland as part of Denmark in the long term. The Democratit and Nalerak parties won the elections, while the previously ruling Inuit Atakatigiit and Siumut parties lost their mandates. The new Kullek party failed to gain seats in parliament.
At the same time as Jay Dee Vance's speech at Pituffik, the appointed head of government, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, announced that four of the five parties represented in Inatsis Art would form a coalition. Only the Nalerak party is not involved. The remaining parties intend to demonstrate unity and, probably, wait for the declaration of independence until the end of Trump's presidential term.
With all the disputes over control of Greenland and the vicious circle over defense spending and even more military spending, it's easy to overlook that Greenland and the Arctic face a much more serious threat. Climate change is already being felt more strongly in the Arctic than in other parts of the world. The disappearance of permafrost and melting glaciers, as well as the spread of forest fires and soil erosion, threaten the fragile ecosystem and the livelihoods of humans and animals. Guns and war games won't help change the situation, rather the opposite.
