Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen (R) and US President Donald Trump.
Credit: Reuters Photos
Copenhagen: Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen warned on Monday that while US President Donald Trump has ruled out military force, Washington still fundamentally seeks to control the Arctic island.
The president intensified calls for US control over Greenland at the beginning of the year, citing national security concerns related to Russia and China, which threatened to fracture the NATO alliance.
Trump has since backed away from threats of force and said he secured total US access to Greenland in a NATO deal, though details remain unclear.
"The view upon Greenland and the population has not changed: Greenland is to be tied to the US and governed from there," Nielsen said in a speech to parliament, speaking via a translator.
Nielsen said the US continues seeking "paths to ownership and control over Greenland".