Denmark won't bend to Trump's pressure over Greenland, prime minister says
President Donald Trump has said he wants the United States to take over the minerals-rich and strategically-located Arctic island for reasons of national and international security, and has not ruled out the use of force to do so.
"The world order we've built through generations is being challenged like never before," Frederiksen said in a speech for National Day.
"In recent months Greenland and Denmark have been subjected to unacceptable pressure from our closest ally," she added, referring to the United States.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance on a visit to the island in March accused fellow NATO member Denmark of not doing a good job keeping Greenland safe and suggested the United States would better protect the territory.
Vance's visit followed an election victory by Greenland's Demokraatit party, which favours a slow approach to independence rather than the quicker departure proposed by some others.
Leaders of Denmark and Greenland have said only Greenlanders can decide the territory's future, and the Danish constitution gives the island the right to seek independence.
Fundamental principles in the transatlantic relationship such as national sovereignty, the respect for borders and people's right to self-determination are now at stake, Frederiksen said.
"But we don't bend. We Danes are not like that," she added.
Denmark's King Frederik, who is popular in Greenland, visited the island in late April in a show of unity amid the diplomatic stand-off with Trump.
A 1951 agreement between the United States and Denmark gives the U.S. the right to construct military bases in Greenland as long as Denmark and Greenland are notified.
The island, whose capital Nuuk is closer to New York than Copenhagen, boasts mineral, oil and natural gas wealth, but development has been slow and the mining sector has seen very limited U.S. investment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
President Trump announces 'massive' trade deal with Japan that sets 15% tariff
WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump says his economic team has secured a long-sought trade deal with Japan that will lower the steep tariffs the country faced under a looming Aug. 1 deadline. Trump said the U.S. will impose a 15% tariff on Japanese imports under the agreement, which he hailed as "a massive deal" in a July 22 post on Truth Social. The tariff rate would be lower than the 24% tariff Trump had threatened on Japan. "I just signed the largest trade deal in history ‒ I think maybe the largest deal in history ‒ with Japan," Trump said Tuesday night during a White House reception with Republican lawmakers. More: Trump announces trade deal with Philippines and 19% tariff Japan is the fourth largest trading partner of the U.S. behind Canada, Mexico and China. Trump did not disclose the full details of the deal but said Japan would "invest $550 Billion Dollars into the United States," with the U.S. receiving 90% of the profits. He said Japan has also agreed to open its country to trade on products that include vehicles, rice and other agricultural products "This is a very exciting time for the United States of America, and especially for the fact that we will continue to always have a great relationship with the Country of Japan," Trump said. Trump officials had suggested being close to a deal with Japan ever since the president in April postponed sweeping reciprocal tariffs on goods from most countries. More: 'No extensions will be granted': Trump vows new tariff deadline is a firm one Since the April delay, the Trump administration has imposed a lower 10% universal tariff on goods from most countries including Japan. But Trump has set an Aug. 1 deadline for the higher tariff rates on some 170 countries to kick in. Speaking early on Wednesday in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he had received an initial report from his trade negotiator in Washington but declined to comment on the specifics of the negotiation. Trump's Japan announcement came after the president earlier in the day touted a new trade deal with the Philippines that coincided with the country's president, Ferdinand Marcos, visiting the White House. Trump's three other trade deals are with the United Kingdom, Vietnam and Indonesia. Contributing: Reuters Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Ex-Biden official says former prez should've ‘bowed out' after ‘Afghanistan debacle'
Former Department of Justice spokesman Anthony Coley argued during a panel on Monday that Biden should have dropped out of the 2024 race after the Afghanistan withdrawal, long before his infamous debate. Monday was the one-year anniversary of then-President Biden dropping out of the 2024 presidential election, relinquishing the nomination to then-Vice President Kamala Harris. His son, Hunter Biden, also made headlines recently by offering views ranging from blasting Democratic Party elites to suggesting his father was on Ambien during the debate. 'I know exactly what happened in that debate,' Hunter said on the 'Channel 5' podcast this past weekend. 'He flew around the world, basically, the mileage that he could have flown around the world, three times. 'He's 81 years old. He's tired as s—. They give him Ambien to be able to sleep. He gets up on the stage. And he looks like he's a deer in the headlights. And it feeds into every f—ing story that anybody wants to tell.' An NBC news panel discussed both the interview and the Democratic Party's efforts to analyze what went wrong in the election. 4 U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on Afghanistan during a speech in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., August 31, 2021. REUTERS 'A lot of things can be true here,' Coley, who is now an NBC News contributor, said. 'So he was 81 years old, and he did take two trips back and forth from Europe. I give him that. That's not why he lost the race, though.' 'You can have the best message in the world, you can have the best policy agenda in the world, but at the end of the day, if you don't have a trusted messenger, somebody that voters think can go the distance, somebody who has stamina, then you're gonna lose,' he continued. 'And that's what happened on the presidential level in 2024.' 4 Flag-draped transfer cases of U.S. military service members who were killed by an August 26 suicide bombing at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport line the inside of a C-17 Globemaster II prior to a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, U.S., August 29, 2021. VIA REUTERS 4 Coley argued that Biden could not recover after the 'Afghanistan debacle.' NBC 4 Former U.S. President Joe Biden at the presidential debate in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., June 27, 2024. REUTERS He then argued that Biden's fate was sealed long before, and should have taken the hint to leave the race. 'I think what Hunter Biden didn't say is that people started losing confidence in Joe Biden – whom I love, who I worked for in his administration – right after the Afghanistan debacle,' he said. 'Do you remember that? It was August of 2022, like his polling never recovered after Afghanistan.' While the midterms that year gave Biden's team a degree of confidence, he said, the Afghanistan debacle was nonetheless 'the moment he really should have bowed out, and we should have had a robust primary process.'
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
AFP journalists sound alarm about dire conditions faced by hungry colleagues in Gaza
A group of journalists at the Agence France-Presse news agency is sounding the alarm about conditions faced by colleagues working in Gaza, saying that 'without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die.' In a war-torn territory where Israel generally forbids outside journalists to enter, international news organizations like AFP, The Associated Press and Reuters rely on local teams to get out the news. They've been hampered by safety concerns and hunger in Gaza, where an estimated 59,000 people have died in the 21-month conflict, according to local health authorities. The Society of Journalists at AFP, an association of professionals at the news agency, detailed what their Gaza colleagues are facing. AFP's management said Tuesday that it shares concerns about the 'appalling' situation and is working to evacuate its freelancers and their families. 'For months, we have watched helplessly as their living conditions deteriorated dramatically,' AFP said in a statement. 'Their situation is now untenable, despite their exemplary courage, professional commitment, and resilience.' One of AFP's photographers, identified as Bashar, sent a message on social media over the weekend that 'I no longer have the strength to work for the media. My body is thin and I can't work anymore.' Bashar has been working for AFP since 2010. Since February, he's been living in the ruins of his home in Gaza City with his mother and other family members, and said one of his brothers had died of hunger, according to the journalists' group. The journalists receive a monthly salary from AFP, but exorbitant prices leave them unable to purchase much food. Another AFP worker, Ahlam, said that every time she leaves her shelter to cover an event or do an interview, 'I don't know if I'll come back alive.' Her biggest issue is the lack of food and water, she said. Since AFP was founded in 1944, the Society of Journalists said that 'we have lost journalists in conflicts, some have been injured, others taken prisoner. But none of us can ever remember seeing colleagues die of hunger.' 'We refuse to watch them die,' the society said. AFP has been working with one freelance writer, three photographers, and six freelance videographers in Gaza since its staff journalists left in 2024. Representatives for the AP and Reuters also expressed concern for their teams there, but would not say how many people are working for them. 'We are deeply concerned about our staff in Gaza and are doing everything in our power to support them,' said Lauren Easton, a spokeswoman for The Associated Press. 'We are very proud of the work our team continues to do under dire circumstances to keep the world informed about what is happening on the ground.' Reuters said that it is in daily contact with its freelance journalists, and that 'the extreme difficulty sourcing food is leading to their and all Gaza residents experiencing greater levels of hunger and illness.' The agency said it is providing extra money to help them. 'Should they with to leave the territory, we will provide any assistance to help get them out,' Reuters said. ___ David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at and Solve the daily Crossword
