Around 85% of Greenlanders do not want to become part of the US, a new poll has found, as Denmark’s prime minister shored up support for its current status.
It comes after Donald Trump said the Arctic island was vital to US security and Denmark should give up control of its semi-autonomous territory.
According to Danish daily newspaper Berlingske, which commissioned the survey by pollster Verian, only 6% of Greenlanders are in favour of becoming part of the US, with 9% undecided.
On Tuesday, Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen said political leaders in Europe and beyond have given full backing for its control of the island.
“The clear message from friends in the Nordic countries and Europe, and also outside Europe, is that there must of course be respect for territories and the sovereignty of states,” she said.
“This is crucial for the international community we have built together since the Second World War.”
Meanwhile, Denmark has announced it will spend £1.6bn on boosting its military presence in the Arctic.
Greenland – with a land mass larger than Mexico and a population of 57,000 – was granted broad self-governing autonomy in 2009, including the right to declare independence from Denmark through a referendum.
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Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede, who has stepped up a push for independence, has repeatedly said the island is not for sale and that it is up to its people to decide their future.
The US military has a permanent presence at the Pituffik Space Base in the northwest of the island – a strategic location for its ballistic missile early-warning system.