Greenland can be saved from US encroachment by EU membership – former Lithuanian Foreign Minister

Greenland calls out US President's rhetoric Donald Trump about the need to control the island is absolutely unacceptable. About this said prime Minister of Greenland Jens-Fredrik Nielsen. And in Latvia, they believe that the country's accession to the European Union can resolve the situation, transmits LRT.

Nielsen noted that Greenland and the United States have been a "close and loyal friend" to each other for generations. The island, among other things, has assumed responsibility for the security of the North Atlantic and, not least, North America.

"When the US president says 'we need Greenland' and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it's not just wrong. It is so disrespectful. Our country is not an object of the superpower's rhetoric. We are a people. A land. And democracy. This must be respected. Especially by close and loyal friends. That's enough. No more pressure. No more hints. No more fantasies about annexation," the Prime Minister said.

He noted that Greenland is ready for a dialogue with the United States, but it must be through "the right channels" and in compliance with international law, and not through "disrespectful posts on social media."

Former Latvian Foreign Minister Gabrielus Landsbergis believes that the possibility of re-joining the EU could protect Greenland from US encroachment.

"The EU has an opportunity to change (the situation). I reminded you that Greenland was a member of the EU, but left it in a referendum. Perhaps we could offer, for example, Greenland, Iceland, Norway to return and rejoin the EU," he said.

Landsbergis reminded that the EU membership agreement contains, among other things, a solidarity clause. Therefore, in the event of an attack or aggression, other member states will come to the rescue. In general, he believes that such statements should be taken seriously by Europe.

"The European Union should start preparing for what is to come. Ultimatums and unexpected actions are possible. I think that the US administration has so far proved that it does not talk nonsense, and so it is a mistake to think that this time it will somehow go away. I think it won't," said the former Lithuanian Foreign Minister.

• on January 3, 2026, the wife of a Trump adviser showed a map of Greenland in the colors of the US flag. The Danish ambassador to the United States recalled the United States' allied commitments and security in the Arctic.
• on January 4, US President Donald Trump again said he told The Atlantic magazine that he wanted control of the island.
• Denmark called for stop threats and reminded that the country is a NATO member.