‘We are not some piece of ice’: Greenland PM hits back at Trump, urges Nato unity

Nato allies had earlier this year rushed to preserve unity within the Nato after US President Donald Trump renewed his push to take control of Greenland from Denmark, a fellow alliance member.

In January, the White House said Trump was considering the use of military force in Greenland, prompting countries including Germany and France to deploy small troop contingents to the island as a show of solidarity and deterrence.

Trump later stepped back following talks with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, saying that “the framework of a future deal” had been reached and shifting the dispute onto a diplomatic path. His latest social media remarks on Greenland came after another meeting with Rutte on Wednesday.

Diplomatic discussions between Greenland, Denmark and the United States began in late January and are still ongoing, with further meetings planned, according to Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.

Trump and his supporters have argued that the US needs Greenland to counter threats from Russia and China in the Arctic, claiming Denmark cannot adequately guarantee its security.

The United States already maintains a military base on the island and retains the option to expand its presence under a 1951 treaty.

"It would be strange, when all parties want to discuss increased defence cooperation, not to factor in that agreement (from 1951)," Nielsen said, declining to go into further detail on what was being discussed in the negotiations.