Greenland's prime minister has said his people would choose Denmark over the US if they were asked to make such a choice here and now.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen's remark at a joint news conference with Denmark's prime minister is the strongest by a representative of the semi-autonomous Danish territory since US President Donald Trump renewed his plan to annex it.
Trump says the US needs to own Greenland to defend against Russia and China. The White House has suggested buying the island, but not ruled out the use of force to annex it.
Denmark is a fellow NATO member and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that military force would spell the end of the trans-Atlantic defense alliance.
Despite being the most sparsely populated territory, Greenland's location between North America and the Arctic makes it well placed for early warning systems in the event of missile attacks, and for monitoring vessels in the region.
Denmark's NATO allies, including major European countries and Canada, have rallied to its support this week with statements reaffirming that only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations.
In the wake of Trump's controversial statements about potential military action, Nielsen issued a firm stand, stating that if we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. He emphasized that Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed by the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States.
