Greenlanders attending a traditional kayaking championship in Nuuk rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed call for U.S. control of the Arctic island on Wednesday, saying its future should be decided by Greenlanders themselves.
Local Reaction
Speaking at a NATO summit in Turkey’s Ankara, Trump this week renewed his demand to gain control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, arguing it was important for U.S. national security. However, locals disagreed, with many saying Trump was focused on the island’s natural resources rather than the wishes of its people.
Public school teacher Birgithe Geisler, 60, said Greenland belonged to Greenlanders. “No one else should decide for us,” she said. Hans David Ezekiassen, an instructor at the Greenland Maritime Center, was more blunt. “I think it’s not right, to put it mildly,” he said. “He can’t even control his own country, so why must he try to take over other countries?”
International Response
Trump’s remarks drew fresh pushback from Danish and Greenlandic leaders. Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Wednesday that repeated calls to take over the island did not change the fact that Greenland is not for sale.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
