President Donald Trump has expressed an interest in taking control of Greenland, even if it requires using military force. (AP: Evan Vucci)
In short:
Greenland's minister for business and trade says US President Donald Trump's comments about wanting to take control of Greenland have left Greenlanders feeling scared, worried, angry, and offended.
Minister Naaja Nathanielsen says despite his words, neither Mr Trump nor his administration have reached out to Greenland's government to discuss the matter.
When it comes to Donald Trump's ambitions to take control of Greenland, the message from the island's minister for trade and business is abundantly clear: "We are not for sale."
In recent weeks, the US president has made several comments about wanting to "get Greenland", describing US control as absolutely necessary for "international security" and "global freedom."
He has even gone so far as to suggest the US would be willing to use military force to gain control of the island.
"I believe we're going to acquire it … I believe we will obtain Greenland because it relates to global freedom," Mr Trump told reporters on Air Force one last week.
But as Greenland's minister for trade, business and resources Naaja Nathanielsen explained to The Radio National Hour, for Greenlanders this kind of language is not simply unhelpful, it's offensive.
"We take offence, of course, when we are being discussed like a commodity to sell or buy," she said.
Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland's minister for trade, business, resources, justice and gender equity, takes offence to the idea of Greenland being discussed like a commodity. (AFP: James Brooks)
"That's the wrong rhetoric to use about allies, especially of a democracy who has their own parliament, their own government."
Greenland has been an autonomous territory of Denmark since gaining the right to home rule in 1979. Ms Nathanielsen said the suggestion that the US might use force to take control of Greenland had been a shock to the island's 56,000 inhabitants.
"It's definitely been an awakening to a harsh new reality," she said.
"I think many people have been going through a range of emotions for the past couple of weeks, from being scared, to being worried, to being angry, to being offended.
"We have kids who are scared about this rhetoric, so I don't appreciate it."
None of this is helped by the fact that despite Mr Trump's confidence that Greenland wants to, as he puts it, "be with us" Naaja Nathanielsen said the Trump administration was yet to even begin such a conversation with Greenland.
"We haven't had any contact with the new administration or President Trump's personnel at any [point]," she said.
Why does Trump want to control Greenland?
Greenland is strategically located midway between Russia and the United States and for the past 80 years the US has maintained a military base on the island's western coast to provide a missile early-warning system as well as space and maritime surveillance operations.
In his recent comments, Mr Trump has suggested Chinese and Russian ships navigating through the area was a key reason the US needed greater control of Greenland.
"You have Russian boats all over the place. You have China boats all over the place, warships and [Denmark] can't maintain it," Mr Trump has said.
For her part, Ms Nathanielsen welcomed the idea of more US support for security monitoring, pointing out that this was something Greenland had been advocating for years.
"There is a lack of monitoring in the Arctic and there is definitely a need for further investment," she said.
Donald Trump Jr., second right, recently visited Greenland in January on a private visit, a day after his father reiterated his interest in taking control of the island. (Emil Stach/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
As minister for resources, Ms Nathanielsen is also well aware of the US interest in exploring the island's vast supply of critical minerals.
Greenland is home to 39 of the 50 minerals that the US has classified as critical to national security and economic stability.
Despite this, there are only two mines actively operating in Greenland and Ms Nathanielsen said US investment in the sector would be welcomed with "an open door."
"You can absolutely invest there if you want to and there are plenty of interesting projects and prospects you can look into if you so want as an American investor," she said.
But Ms Nathanielsen was quick to stress that a desire for American investment does not mean Greenlanders want to be American.
"I think that it is very important for us to underline that we are Greenland, we are Greenlanders, we are a democracy, we have our own government, we have our own parliament, and we are working under the rule of law and we expect our allies to respect that."
Whether Donald Trump is willing to respect that, Ms Nathanielsen acknowledged, was an open question.
Mr Trump's recent comments about acquiring not just Greenland but also Canada and the Panama Canal demonstrate for Ms Nathanielsen an expansionist agenda.
Trump threatens to retake control of Panama Canal
Photo shows A container ship on a canal
Were the US to actually use force to try and take over the island, Ms Nathanielsen acknowledged that pushback would be required by something bigger than Greenland.
"We don't have any force to show" she said, emphasising that all Greenland can do is call for respect and dialogue.
"We are a micro-state and what we can do is to make sure that we have good allies and that people will respect that we are a democracy and a land in our own right, people in our own right and we have the right to decide whom we're going to be a part of."
Greenland is a founding member of NATO, subject to the same guarantee as all other NATO members that an attack on it would be considered an attack on all.
But because the US is also a NATO member, such an attack would likely create an unprecedented crisis for NATO, potentially threatening the very foundations of the alliance.
Learning to dance with Trump
In all the challenges that come with suddenly becoming one of the must-have possessions of the world's most powerful leader, there are also opportunities for Greenland.
A recent survey found 85 per cent of Greenlanders are against becoming part of the United States, with only six per cent in favour.
But many within Greenland still see Donald Trump's interest as positive, if it can be managed correctly.
Qupanuk Olsen, Greenland's most prominent online influencer, has spoken out against Trump's aggressive rhetoric, but also acknowledged the possibility of turning it into something beneficial for the island.
"We just have to figure out how to best dance with Trump," she said.
"How can we make the best deal out of this?"
For many years the island has been working towards full independence from Denmark, which it still relies on for its welfare system and more than half of its budget, among other things.
But as Ms Nathanielsen acknowledged, while Greenland and Denmark have a good working relationship their history is a complex one.
"We have our issues with the Danish state," she said.
"We're working through these conflicts because there was hurt afflicted on Greenland and the Greenlandic population by the colonial time."
Even so, regardless of Donald Trump's interest in the island, Greenland is in no rush to fully separate from Denmark with Ms Nathanielsen comparing the process to a marathon, not a sprint.
"It's a slow moving discussion, and we're taking them one step at a time," she said.
