Naadja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s Minister for Industry, Raw Materials, Mining, Energy, Law Enforcement and Equality, addressed MPs at a meeting in the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Room in Westminster Parliament House, organized by the APPG for Greenland in response to threats of takeover of the territory by the United States.
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The people of Greenland are “confused” by US President Donald Trump’s “catastrophic” plan to annex the Arctic island, the country’s business minister told CNBC, as the issue escalates into a geopolitical firestorm.
In an interview with CNBC on Tuesday ahead of President Trump’s speech at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Minister of Business and Mineral Resources Naadja Nathanielsen said the international attention has been “extremely devastating” for many of Greenland’s roughly 57,000 people.
Asked how Greenlanders are feeling as President Trump pursues Greenland, Nathanielsen said: “People are worried, scared and confused.”
“(We) have always considered ourselves an ally of the United States, and for many years we have tried and been willing to respond to the needs of the United States,” Nathanielsen said in a video call.
“It’s really difficult for us to suddenly find ourselves in the middle of a storm of people trying to take possession of us, like products and property. Not to mention the threat of military action and actual occupation of our country.”
Her comments came as the US president ramps up efforts to acquire the autonomous Danish territory, which he claims is “vital” to US national security. On Monday, he said “no comment” when asked by NBC if he would use military force to take it.
President Trump said in a social media post Tuesday that there is “no turning back” on his plan.
The US president on Saturday promised to gradually impose additional tariffs on eight European countries that opposed the US purchase of Greenland, starting February 1.
It’s really difficult for us to suddenly find ourselves in the middle of a storm that acquires us like products and property. ”
Naaja Nathanielsen
Minister of Business and Mineral Resources of Greenland
European political leaders have called for a pushback, with talks expected in the coming days on how to respond. French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that Trump’s tariff threat was “fundamentally unacceptable,” while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the measure was “completely wrong.”
Nathanielsen told CNBC that he was “really moved by the strong solidarity” of European political leaders. “We cannot follow a plan where one ally has to accept the occupation of another ally,” she said.
“A threat unlike anything we’ve seen before”
In recent days, protests have taken place in Greenland’s capital Nuuk and in Copenhagen, Denmark, with people marching carrying red and white Greenlandic flags.
Opinion polls show that while an overwhelming majority of Greenlanders oppose U.S. rule, an overwhelming majority support independence from Denmark.
People wave Greenlandic flags as they take part in a demonstration in Nuuk, Greenland, on January 17, 2026, during which nearly a third of the city’s population gathered to protest the US president’s plans to occupy Greenland.
Alessandro Rampazzo AFP | Getty Images
“We have always known that our position in the world creates geographical tensions. We are used to this. We were once a colony of Denmark, so we are not unfamiliar with complexity, controversy and conflict, but we have always found ways to adapt and deal with the situation,” Nathanielsen said.
“And now I think we’re facing a threat that we’ve never seen before. So I’m sure that if we were to be occupied, that would mean the destruction of our culture. And I think that would be very devastating.”
Mr Nathanielsen said the island’s lawmakers wanted more clarity on how they could respond to the US “without being swallowed up” by it.
“The threat of occupation is devastating to us. It’s not something we can work together on at all,” Nathanielsen said.
“So we don’t want to be taken over. We’ve made that clear. Of course we don’t want to be taken over. What country in the world wants that? But we want dialogue. We want cooperation. And we want to lower the temperature,” she added.
What’s next for Greenland?
In 2009, Greenland was given greater autonomy over its internal affairs through the Autonomy Act, which also gave it the right to hold an independence referendum. Denmark will continue to be responsible for foreign, defense and security policy.
Most political parties in Greenland support independence, but disagree on when and how to achieve it. The independence movement has become a balancing act between the island’s ultimate goal of self-determination and the need for Danish financial support for essential services such as health care and education.
Arja Chemnitz, the lawmaker who represents Greenland in Denmark’s parliament, said in an interview with CNBC earlier this month that Greenlanders “want us to not be dehumanized, and I think that’s what we have been in this whole situation.”
“People are resilient. Of course you can’t buy a country, but I think it’s important to remember that you can’t buy a population,” Chemnitz told CNBC on January 8.
