Greenland wants more out of US defence agreement

16/5/2025 6:14

Greenland wants to benefit

more from a defence deal struck decades ago with the United

States, the territory's foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, told

Reuters on Thursday while also calling for closer cooperation

with the European Union.



U.S. President Donald Trump has floated the idea of

acquiring Greenland, refusing to rule out taking the island by

force. The idea has been rebuffed both by leaders in Greenland

and Denmark, which governs the island.



A 1951 agreement between the U.S. and Denmark gave the U.S.

the right to move around freely and construct military bases in

Greenland as long as Denmark and Greenland are notified.



"We want to get more out of this agreement," Greenland's

Motzfeldt said in an interview, adding that Greenland wants to

expand cooperation with the U.S. on climate change, education

and business.



The minister, who was visiting Brussels for talks with

senior EU officials, also said that Greenland wants to build

stronger ties to the bloc and diversify its economy.



"We want to have more bilateral and direct cooperation with

the EU," she said, noting that she wants the relationship to be

more visible and pointing to critical minerals as an area of

cooperation.



Greenland and the EU signed a memorandum of understanding in

2023 on a strategic partnership to develop sustainable raw

materials value chains.



In March, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, on a visit to

Greenland which stoked deep unease, accused Denmark of not doing

a good job keeping the island safe and suggested the United

States would better protect it.



EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said this month the

people of Greenland should be able to make their own choices

free from external pressure.



"Under the circumstances of what happening in the

United States, we have the EU that stands for us," Motzfeldt

said. "The future of Greenland is up to the Greenlandic people,"

she said.