Greenland seeks closer ties with EU amid Trump’s territorial claims

In light of US President Donald Trump’s territorial claims, Greenland is looking to move closer to the European Union.

“In Greenland, we wish for a stronger and closer cooperation with the EU. We have a lot to offer, and this gives us great development opportunities,” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said at a summit of the so-called European Political Community (EPC) in Copenhagen.

Greenland was represented at the EPC for the first time. Nielsen said they wish to expand the partnership to the benefit of both sides.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed similarly positive sentiments after a meeting with Nielsen.

“Europe and Greenland will always be each other’s trusted and reliable partners. We want to deepen our cooperation,” she posted on the platform X.

She wrote that the EU also wants to double financial support for Greenland, referring to her commission’s plans for more than €500 million ($586 million) from the next multi-annual budget to flow to Greenland.

Cooperation with US not ruled out

Earlier this year, Trump repeatedly laid claim to the world’s largest island over several months. Although the debate has somewhat subsided, Trump’s position has not changed since then.

The icy island, with its nearly 56,000 inhabitants, is largely autonomous but officially belongs to the kingdom of Denmark.

At the summit in Copenhagen, Nielsen did not rule out the possibility of being open to respectful cooperation with the United States under certain conditions.

He said that one cooperation does not exclude the other: The most important thing is that they benefit the Greenlandic population as much as possible.