Greenland and Denmark have presented a united diplomatic front in response to renewed pressure from United States President Donald Trump, temporarily setting aside longstanding tensions rooted in their shared colonial history.
Greenland, which was ruled as a Danish colony for nearly three centuries, remains an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, a relationship that continues to generate political and social debate.
Although Greenland’s major political parties favour independence, they remain divided on the pace and process for achieving it, with recent external pressure reshaping domestic priorities.
President Trump’s renewed interest in Greenland’s strategic importance in the Arctic prompted Greenland’s political parties to form a broad coalition government in March 2025.
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Greenland’s leaders reiterated last week that they had no interest in any proposal suggesting United States control of the island, following Trump’s remarks before he later backed down.
Trump said he had reached what he described as a framework agreement on Arctic security with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, a claim that drew swift clarification from Copenhagen and Nuuk.
Researcher Ulrik Pram Gad of the Danish Institute for International Studies said US pressure had altered political calculations in Greenland. “Trump’s pressure has prompted the wide majority of the political spectrum to put independence preparations aside for now,” he told AFP.
Gad added that European backing had eased tensions within the Danish-Greenlandic relationship. “The relation to Denmark feels a lot less claustrophobic when joined by others,” he said.
Greenland’s coalition government includes all major parties except Naleraq, which advocates a rapid path to independence and remains in opposition.
At the height of the diplomatic exchanges, Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, stated clearly that if forced to choose, Greenland would stand with Denmark rather than the United States.
Following Trump’s comments, both Greenland and Denmark emphasised that decisions affecting the territory could only be taken jointly by them.
Over the past month, officials from both governments have coordinated visits to Washington and Brussels, consistently delivering shared messages on sovereignty and security.
On January 14, Greenland’s Foreign Minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, met US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio alongside Denmark’s Foreign Minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen.
Days later, Motzfeldt travelled to Brussels for talks with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, accompanied by Denmark’s Defence Minister, Troels Lund Poulsen.
Despite the current unity, analysts note that unresolved issues from Greenland’s colonial past continue to shape public sentiment.
“Any colonial relation is a question of domination, and there have been injustices committed,” said Astrid Andersen, a specialist in Danish-Greenlandic relations.
Among the most cited grievances is a 1951 social experiment in which Inuit children were separated from their families and prevented from speaking their native language.
Denmark has also acknowledged responsibility for forced birth control practices carried out from the 1960s, with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issuing a formal apology.
A compensation process is ongoing for women affected by the policies, while controversial child welfare practices involving Greenlandic families were only discontinued last year.
Andersen said recent disputes had been temporarily sidelined, noting, “There’s a general agreement that the common opponent right now is Trump, and we need to face this together.”
