Greenland: Moves to independence and new international relations

Greenland has become the focus of recent international interest as melting Arctic ice opens up new shipping routes and makes its rich mineral resources more accessible.

How is Greenland governed?

Greenland is the world’s largest island, with most of its territory in the Arctic Circle. It has around 57,000 inhabitants. Located in the North American continent, it has been Danish territory for centuries and part of the Kingdom of Denmark since 1953. It gained home rule in 1979, becoming self-governing in its internal affairs, while remaining part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It also then left the then European Community in 1983.

A new self-government act was adopted in 2009, granting Greenland further autonomy. Denmark retains responsibility for Greenland’s foreign affairs and defence policy, and the Danish krone remains Greenland’s currency. Greenland receives an annual subsidy from Denmark, which will be reduced if revenues from Greenland’s mineral resources exceed a certain level.

The act also sets out a process for Greenland to gain independence, requiring consent from Greenland’s parliament (the Inatsisartut) and its people in a referendum, with independence terms to be negotiated with Denmark.

Greenland’s path to independence

In April 2023, a constitutional commission comprising members of parties represented in the Greenland’s parliament presented a draft constitution for a post-independence Greenland, but there were no immediate plans to adopt it. In late September 2024, the government established a commission to draw up proposals for how to move forward with independence.

In January 2025, Greenland’s outgoing Prime Minister, Múte Egede, said it was time to take the next step towards independence. An opinion poll in the same month indicated that 56% of Greenlanders were in favour of independence, but that 45% were opposed if it meant a deterioration in their living standards.

Defence of Greenland and external relations

Greenland is an Overseas Country and Territory (OCT) of the EU, with an enhanced political, economic and trading relationship with the EU.

Greenland has sought greater autonomy in its foreign affairs. In 2021, a contact group for foreign, security, and defence policy was established by Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands (Denmark’s other autonomous territory). Both territories have also been given an enhanced role in Danish delegations to regional bodies including the Arctic Council and the Nordic Council.

The USA has had a military presence in Greenland since the Second World War. The 1951 US–Denmark “Defense of Greenland agreement”, following on from the newly formed NATO alliance (of which both the US and Denmark were founding members) allowed the US to establish US military bases on the island.

The US–Denmark Greenland defence agreement has since been updated. The agreement enabled the establishment of the Thule Air Base, now known as the Pituffik Space Base, which supports missile warning and defence.

US interest in acquiring Greenland

There has been longstanding US interest in acquiring Greenland, going back to the 19th century. The idea was raised again by Donald Trump in 2019 during his first term as US President. In August 2019, President Trump cancelled a planned visit to Denmark when the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, said Greenland was “not for sale”. President Trump declared a new and more assertive interest in the USA acquiring control of Greenland following his re-election for a second term at the end of 2024.

US–Greenland relations in 2025

President Trump has stressed the importance of the USA acquiring Greenland for national security and economic security reasons, citing the growing presence of Russia and China in the Arctic region. In January 2025, he said that the USA “would tariff Denmark at a very high level” if it blocked the US from taking over Greenland, and said he could not rule out the use of military force.

In his State of the Union speech in early March 2025, President Trump said that he supported Greenlanders’ “right to determine [their] own future”, but also said that the USA would get Greenland “one way or the other” and would make Greenlanders rich.

Greenland’s leaders have emphasised that Greenland is “not for sale” and stressed their own moves to independence, while being open to cooperation with the USA. In an opinion poll of Greenlanders published at the end of January 2025, 85% of those polled did not wish to become part of the USA.

The leaders of the five parties in Greenland’s parliament issued a joint statement following the general election in March 2025 describing the repeated US statements about annexation and control of Greenland as “unacceptable to friends and allies in a defense alliance”.

Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, has similarly stressed the importance of the USA as Denmark’s “closest ally” and Denmark’s willingness to cooperate on Arctic security while also emphasising that Greenland is not for sale. Denmark has received some support from EU leaders. In February 2025, European Council President, António Costa, referred to the importance of preserving the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark to the EU’s member states.

US delegation visits Greenland

Ms Frederiksen said that a planned private visit to Greenland by a US delegation, including Usha Vance (wife of Vice President, JD Vance), at the end of March 2025 was “not respectful”. She said the USA was placing “unacceptable pressure” on Greenland and Denmark. Greenland’s outgoing Prime Minister, Múte Egede, said the planned visit was “highly aggressive” and said Greenland would never be part of the USA.  

The itinerary was eventually scaled back, with the delegation only visiting the US base, but with JD Vance also joining the trip. During the visit, the Vice President said that Denmark had “not done a good job” for Greenland. He said that Denmark had not done enough to counter aggressive incursions from Russia and China in the region. He said the USA would respect “Greenland’s sovereignty” but could make Greenland more secure and better off economically.

Denmark’s Foreign Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said Denmark was “open to criticism” but did not appreciate the tone in which it was being delivered.

While the US Vice President was in Greenland, President Trump said that “Greenland understands that the United States should own it”, and that “if Denmark and the EU don’t understand it, we have to explain it to them”. He said Chinese and Russian ships were “all over the place” around Greenland and that the USA would not rely on Denmark to handle the situation.

Response of new Greenland Prime Minister  

Following Greenland’s general election on 11 March 2025, a new coalition government, bringing together four of the five parties in the parliament, was announced on 28 March 2025.

After President Trump repeated comments that the USA would “get Greenland”, Greenland’s new Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said on 30 March that the USA would “not get it” and Greenland would “decide our own future”.