Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called on NATO allies to face together to defend international law on Thursday as he hit back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest comments concerning the Arctic island.
In a post on social media earlier this week, Trump criticized NATO’s unwillingness to become involved within the war on Iran, saying that the military alliance was not around when the U.S. “needed them.”
“NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN. REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!! President DJT,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.
A screenshot of Donald Trump’s Truth Social post.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
Nielsen rejected Trump’s comments that Greenland is a “poorly run, piece of ice.”
“We should not some piece of ice. We’re a proud population of 57,000 people, working each day nearly as good global residents in full respect for all our allies,” he told Reuters.
He went on to emphasise the importance of maintaining the post-war geopolitical order, including the NATO defence alliance and globally respected international law.
“Those things are being challenged now, and I feel all allies should stand together to try to keep up them. I hope that may occur,” he said.
This isn’t the primary time Nielsen has responded to Trump’s comments about Greenland.
Get day by day National news
Get day by day Canada news delivered to your inbox so you may never miss the day’s top stories.
Greenland’s leader said “enough is enough” after Trump renewed his threats to take over the territory in January.
“Threats, pressure, and talk of annexation don’t belong anywhere between friends,” Nielsen said on Facebook on Jan. 4. “That’s not the way you seek advice from individuals who have repeatedly shown responsibility, stability and loyalty.
“Enough is enough. No more pressure. No more hints. No more fantasies about annexation.”
Nielsen said Greenland is “open for dialogue” and “open to conversations.”
He also addressed a photograph that Katie Miller, the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, posted on X of the territory covered with the American flag, writing, “SOON.”
“At first, let me say calmly and clearly, that there’s neither reason for panic nor for insecurity,” Nielsen wrote.
“The photo shared by Katie Miller of Greenland being produced wrapped in an American flag doesn’t change anything. Our country isn’t on the market and our future isn’t determined by social media posts,” he wrote.
“But the image is disrespectful. The relations between countries and individuals are based on respect and on international law and never on symbolic markings that ignore our status and our rights.
“There’s no have to panic. But there’s good reason to talk up against the dearth of respect.”
Trump has repeatedly called for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, and has pointedly not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically positioned Arctic island that belongs to an ally.
Trump said in January that anything lower than the Arctic island being in U.S. hands could be “unacceptable.”
During an unrelated event on the White House about rural health care, he recounted how he had threatened European allies with tariffs on pharmaceuticals.
“I could try this for Greenland too,” Trump said. “I could put a tariff on countries in the event that they don’t associate with Greenland, because we’d like Greenland for national security. So I could try this.”
European leaders have insisted that it is simply for Denmark and Greenland to make your mind up on matters regarding the territory, and Denmark said it was increasing its military presence in Greenland in co-operation with allies.
In December 2025, Trump said the U.S. is not serious about Greenland for its mineral wealth.
“Now we have so many sites for minerals and oil and the whole lot. Now we have more oil than another country on the planet,” Trump said. “We’ll need to work all of it out.”
Trump initially voiced his interest in Greenland in 2019 during his first term in office. He said Greenland was “hurting Denmark very badly” and costing it US$700 million a 12 months. His solution was to have america acquire Greenland, calling it “a big real estate deal.”
— With files from Reuters and The Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.