The prime minister of Greenland called for independence from Denmark and removing the “shackles” of colonialism in a strident New Year’s address this week.
Greenland, the world’s largest island with a population of around 60,000, was a Danish colony until it became self-ruling with its own parliament in 1979. It remains a territory of Denmark, with Copenhagen exercising control over its foreign and defense policy.
The renewed call comes after United States President-elect Donald Trump once again suggested buying Greenland from Denmark — a proposal he made during his first term and reiterated last month, calling the U.S. acquiring the Arctic territory an “absolute necessity.”
“It is now time to take the next step for our country,” Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede said.
“Like other countries in the world, we must work to remove the obstacles to cooperation — which we can describe as the shackles of the colonial era — and move on,” he added.
Egede, who has led Greenland since 2021 and hails from the pro-independence Community of the People (IA) party, said Denmark’s relations with Greenland had not created “full equality,” and that the island deserves to represent itself on the world stage.
“Our cooperation with other countries, and our trade relations, cannot continue to take place solely through Denmark,” he said.
Under a 2009 agreement with Denmark, Greenland can declare independence only after a successful referendum — which Egede appeared to hint at holding in tandem with the island’s upcoming parliamentary election in April.
“Work has already begun on creating the framework for Greenland as an independent state,” he said. “It is necessary to take major steps … The upcoming new election period must, together with the citizens, create these new steps.”
As global powers seek to expand their reach and footprint in the Arctic, mineral-rich Greenland — which hosts a U.S. military base — is coveted for its strategic value in security and trade.
Trump’s imperialist musings attracted a sharp rebuke from Egede, who declared that Greenland is “not for sale.” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in 2019 called the U.S. bid “absurd.”
Hours after Trump posted his recent remarks, Denmark announced it would boost defense spending in Greenland by at least €1.3 billion — although Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the timing was merely an “irony of fate.”
Despite its rich mineral resources, Greenland relies on Copenhagen for significant financial assistance, receiving an annual subsidy of around €500 million.
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