Greenland says US talks make progress but island is not for sale

Copenhagen: Greenland's government said on Monday ​that progress has been made in high-stakes talks with the United States over the territory's future, but that the giant island sought by President ⁠Donald Trump will never be for sale.

US special envoy Jeff Landry, ⁠appointed by Trump last year to push for ‌American control of ​Greenland, arrived in Nuuk on Sunday and met on Monday with Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Foreign Minister Mute Egede.

"We believe there is progress, and from Greenland's side we are focused on ​finding a solution that ⁠is good for us all, and most importantly that threats of annexation, takeover or a purchase of Greenland and the Greenlandic people does not occur," Nielsen told reporters after ⁠meeting with ‌Landry.

There was no immediate statement from Landry who told local media on Sunday he was there ‌to "listen and learn".

Trump's assertion that the US must acquire or control Greenland, ⁠a semi-autonomous Danish territory, has sparked tension between Washington and Copenhagen, both founding NATO members, and ‌more broadly across Europe.

"They asked for a ‌meeting, and we've explained our situation and standpoint, and ‌that we have some red lines - we will ‌not sell Greenland, we will own Greenland for all time," Egede said.

Seeking to calm tensions, Greenland, Denmark and the US earlier this year agreed ⁠to hold ⁠high-level diplomatic negotiations to resolve the crisis, although the outcome of those ongoing talks has yet to be presented.

The United States wants to boost its military presence in Greenland and make it part of Trump's planned "Golden Dome" system of defence against nuclear attack.

The US currently has one active base ​in Greenland, the Pituffik Space Base in the northwest, down ​from around 17 facilities in ​1945 when thousands of US personnel staffed facilities around the island.