A new poll reveals that an overwhelming majority of Greenlanders reject the idea of their Arctic island becoming part of the United States, with many viewing President Trump’s interest as a threat.
The survey by pollster Verian, commissioned by Danish newspaper Berlingske and Greenlandic daily Sermitsiaq, found that 85 per cent of Greenlanders do not want their semi-autonomous Danish territory to become part of the US.
This follows President Trump’s statement earlier this month asserting Greenland’s strategic importance to US security and suggesting Denmark relinquish control.
Only a small fraction, 6 per cent, favour joining the US, while 9 per cent remain undecided. The poll highlights the divisive nature of Trump’s interest: 45 per cent perceive it as a threat, while 43 per cent% see it as an opportunity, leaving 13 per cent undecided.
Greenland currently benefits from Danish welfare programs, including universal healthcare and free education, factors that could influence residents’ views on a potential change in status.
Only 8 per cent of those polled said they would be willing to change their Danish citizenship to American, 55 per cent said they would prefer to be Danish citizens, and 37 per cent were undecided.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday she had given full backing to the principle of maintaining respect for international borders, following meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Nato chief Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
“I am pleased if the survey is an expression that many Greenlanders would like to see a continued close cooperation with Denmark. Probably in a different form than what we know today, because everything changes over time,” she told Berlingske in response to the poll.
Denmark said on Monday it would spend 14.6 billion crowns (£1.6 billion) on boosting its military presence in the Arctic.
Greenland – with a land mass larger than Mexico and a population of 57,000 – was granted broad self-governing autonomy in 2009, including the right to declare independence from Denmark through a referendum.
Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede, who has stepped up a push for independence, has repeatedly said the island is not for sale and that it is up to its people to decide their future.
The U.S. military has a permanent presence at the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, a strategic location for its ballistic missile early-warning system, as the shortest route from Europe to North America runs via the island.