The President of the United States, Donald Trump, and Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark, had a heated conversation about Trump's decision to buy Greenland, according to the Financial Times. Five senior European officials revealed that the 45-minute phone call between Trump and Frederiksen "had gone very badly".
One of the European officials described the call as "serious and potentially very dangerous," while another former Danish government official claimed that Trump threatened to take "specific measures against Denmark, such as selective tariffs" during the conversation. Mette Frederiksen's office rejected the interpretation of the conversation given by anonymous sources, noting that the Prime Minister referred to statements from Greenland's autonomous president, who stated that the island was not for sale and that it would decide on its independence.
For his part, Egede, the autonomous president of Greenland, expressed willingness to negotiate with the United States and explore cooperation possibilities, although he reiterated that the island was not for sale. Donald Trump, before reaching the White House, had mentioned the possibility of using military force to acquire Greenland, although these statements were later clarified by his Vice President, J.D. Vance.
The United States has a base in northern Greenland under a defense agreement with Denmark signed more than 70 years ago, which allows an increase in the U.S. military presence on the island. Greenland, the largest island in the world, with 80% covered by ice, has only 56,000 inhabitants.
In summary, the tension between Trump and Frederiksen arose from the proposal to buy Greenland, with Trump responding aggressively to the Danish Prime Minister's refusal. Greenland, which has enjoyed a status of self-determination since 2009, has attracted interest for its mineral and oil resources, although attempts to increase revenues have been unsuccessful so far due to the difficulties and high cost of extraction.