After being "targeted" by Trump, the Prime Minister of Greenland's self-governing government speaks up again: "It is necessary" to be independent from Denmark

Following US President-elect Donald Trump's recent comments describing it as "absolutely necessary" for the United States to "have" Greenland, Prime Minister Kuupik Kleist of the government of Greenland's self-rule (home rule) administration said in his New Year 2025 message that the time had come "necessarily" to break away from Denmark to become a sovereign state.

"Now is the time to take the next step in determining our own future, which is about who we want to be close to, and who will be a trade partner to us," Kleist said in his statement.

"Greenland is in a position to cooperate more with many countries and entities. We have a long history of cooperation with the Kingdom (of Denmark). This will no doubt continue but we can and should also do things on our own," Kleist said, as quoted by Reuters. "There is no conflict in that. History and experience have shown that our cooperation with the Kingdom has not been characterized by full equality. Now it is time for our small nation to take its next step," Kleist continued.

According to Reuters, Kleist said later in his statement that "we must not be held back, as so many other emerging and independent states in post-colonial history have been, by cooperation and assistance that has been anything but equal. Now in closing, let me say that our cooperation is a matter that must be determined by all citizens. Let us work hard together to remove, as far as possible, all cooperation barriers, and all obstacles of colonialism, as far as we together can, and in this way take the important step forward as our independent state, in peace, cooperation and respect. This will allow us to shape a good life for future generations and create the Greenland we want, and deserve."

The Reuters report notes that Kleist said independence is up to Greenlander voters but did not mention when a referendum might be held. "Many Greenlander voters want their Arctic island to leave the Danish Kingdom in 2022, but there remains disagreement on whether the change should happen sooner or much later, and on the effect it might have on living standards," the story reads.

There was in fact nothing at all in Kleist's address on independence about Trump or the USA itself. He did not even mention Denmark by name. But, as the Reuters story pointed out, the independence move is clearly a reaction to Trump's declaration.

Greenland – the world's largest island – is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, which controls it as what the islanders have termed "home rule." It's 82,000 mostly Inuit Greenlanders have a large amount of autonomy, electing their own legislature, government and prime minister. The government of Denmark still handles defense and foreign policy, as well as monetary, financial and customs policy. Danish is Greenland's official language, but Inuit is spoken as well by 80 percent of the population.

The island has been an integral area of strategic military importance to the Danish, then to the Allies during World War II, and later specifically to a US-Soviet war, including for protection. After the US purchase Alaska from the Czarist Russia in 1867, President Ulysses S. Grant sent a delegation to study the island to see if it could be purchased as well. It was not.

As for the December 22, 2024, remarks by Trump that led to Kleist's statement: "The United States needs the Arctic and Greenland. It is the most important place in the world – or one of the most important places," Trump said in a post on Twitter on Tuesday morning. "For national security purposes, and for the world, it is time for the US to have and control Greenland, for a small price. It is happening!" Greenland, he said, was part of America's Arctic strategy.

A spokeswoman for Kleist said on December 23: "Greenland belongs to Greenland's people. Greenland is not on the market, and it never will be."