Greenland is ready to talk.
Responding Monday to the diplomatic earthquake unleashed last week by President-elect Donald J. Trump as he contemplated seizing the giant island in the Arctic Ocean, Greenland’s prime minister said the territory would like to work more closely with the United States on defense and natural resources.
“The reality is that we will work with the United States – yesterday, today and tomorrow,” Prime Minister Múte Egede said at a news conference in Nuuk, Greenland’s small frozen capital.
But he was firm: Greenlanders did not want to become Americans.
“We have to be very smart in how we act,” he said, adding: “The power struggles between the superpowers are increasing and now they are knocking on our door.”
Trump has refused to rule out using economic or military force to seize the Panama Canal and conquer Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark that he had suggested purchasing during his first term. Then, as now, Greenland and Denmark said the island was not for sale. Panama’s leaders also rejected the threat.
Egede said Monday that “all of us were shocked” by Trump’s words, which were accentuated by a surprising and somewhat mysterious visit by the president-elect’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., to the island the same day. .
The young Trump went on a lightning-fast sightseeing tour, saying it was on private business, and global headlines have since flooded Greenland.
Most of Greenland’s territory is covered in ice, only about 56,000 people live here, and until recently, the island was best known for its icebergs and polar bears. As climate change melts the Arctic ice, this region silently falls into the sights of world powers.
The United States, Russia, European countries, China and others keep an eye on Arctic shipping lanes and vast mineral resources that are no longer considered out of reach.
The island has been linked to Denmark for centuries, first as a colony and now as a separate territory that has achieved a large degree of autonomy in recent years. Denmark still controls the island’s foreign affairs and defense policy.
But the surge in interest from international powers coincides with Greenland’s bid for independence, and that desire has only grown stronger. At the same time, many people here are reluctant to completely cut ties with Denmark because of the hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies that Denmark provides each year.
In Nuuk, where the sun was zero degrees Fahrenheit Monday afternoon, many people waited eagerly to hear what the prime minister would say.
“Whatever happens, there is no going back,” said Aviaq Kleist, the owner of a bar in Nuuk Center, the city’s largest shopping mall, with a couple dozen stores. He joked that perhaps Mr Egede would suddenly declare independence.
Mr Egede did not – he sidestepped the issue, saying the country had been steadily working towards the goal but that “different parties have different views”. (There is also a clear independence process involving a referendum, should it come to that.)
The prime minister also expressed relief at comments J.D. Vance, the incoming vice president, made on a Fox News show this weekend. While Vance didn’t exactly rule out the use of military force, saying, “We don’t have to use military force” because “we already have troops in Greenland,” his tone was optimistic as he spoke of Greenland’s “incredible natural resources.” and “a deal to be made.”
The United States has been interested in Greenland for years. During World War II he established his bases here and, after the war, attempted to purchase Greenland from Denmark, which refused. Today the US military operates the Pituffik space base, which specializes in missile defense, at the northern tip of the island.
In Nuuk on Monday, people seemed to be on the same page as the prime minister, expressing a mixture of hope and caution. Many said they did not want to be swallowed up by the United States. But they wanted a stronger partnership with America.
“What we really need is more cooperation and trade,” said Nielseeraq Berthelsen, a fisherman. He was working in an ice-encrusted fish market, selling chunks of whale skin and bright red seal meat.
He said he was walking in another mall last week when someone suddenly approached him and invited him to a special dinner.
The next thing he knew, he said, he was shaking hands with the young Mr. Trump.
“He had a lot of enthusiasm,” said Mr. Berthelsen, who stood in such cold air that his eyes watered as he spoke. “He had good energy.”
Ivik Kristiansen contributed reporting.