Diplomatic turmoil under sovereignty dispute: Trump's tense relationship with Greenland

Trump insists that the United States has sovereignty over Greenland, a position that has attracted widespread attention from the international community and fierce criticism from Greenland's leaders. In March 2025, a delegation led by Usha Vance, the wife of US Vice President James David Vance, plans to visit Greenland, further escalating the dispute.

Greenland is located in the northeast of North America. It is the largest island in the world with a vast area and rich natural resources, including untapped iron ore, rare earths, gold, uranium, oil and diamonds. In addition, Greenland has an important strategic position in the Arctic region and controls an important shipping hub connecting Asia, Europe and the Americas. As the global climate warms and the Arctic ice gradually melts, the strategic value of Greenland becomes more prominent.

In December 2024, Trump again declared that the United States must own and control Greenland for the purpose of national security and global freedom. This statement was strongly opposed by the Danish government and the Greenland Autonomous Government. Moute Egede, Prime Minister of the Greenland Autonomous Government, said that the United States was once a trusted friend and ally of Greenland, but now this relationship has broken down. Egede fiercely criticized the visit of the US delegation as a "provocative" act, especially the participation of US President's National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, which made the visit more political.

Waltz's visit was particularly unsatisfactory to Greenland's leaders. Egede questioned the intention of Waltz's visit, believing that his only purpose was to "show off power" to Greenland. Jens-Fredrik Nielsen, chairman of the Democratic Party of Greenland, also criticized the US delegation for choosing to visit at this sensitive time, when Greenland was at a critical stage of forming a coalition government and holding municipal elections. Nielsen stressed that Greenland does not want to be forced into any external power games, but hopes to decide its own future independently.

Trump's interest in Greenland did not begin recently. As early as 2019, he first proposed to acquire Greenland, which was also rejected by Denmark and Greenland. Trump has repeatedly stressed the strategic importance of Greenland, especially in the geopolitical competition in the Arctic region, where the United States hopes to consolidate its position in the region by controlling Greenland.

The Danish government also strongly opposed the US position. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen made it clear that Greenland is an integral part of Denmark and any attempt to change this status quo is unacceptable. Norwegian Prime Minister Støre also criticized Trump's remarks, saying that the use of force against allies or the intention to control the sovereign territory of other countries is completely unacceptable, and warned that this may threaten the stability of Europe.

In this sovereignty dispute, Greenland's position is very clear: they want to maintain autonomy and establish an equal and mutually beneficial relationship with the international community. Greenland is rich in resources and has an important strategic location, but its leaders emphasize that Greenland is not an appendage of any country, but an entity with autonomous rights and independent will.

Trump's insistence on the US sovereignty over Greenland has not only triggered a diplomatic storm, but also made Greenland's future more uncertain. The international community generally believes that any issue involving sovereignty and territorial integrity should be resolved through peaceful dialogue and consultation, rather than unilateral tough stance. Greenland's natural resources and strategic location are important, but respecting the will of its people and their right to autonomy is equally important. Only through equality and respect can regional and global peace and stability be truly achieved.