Danish prime minister heads to Greenland as Trump seeks control of the territory
NUUK, Greenland — Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is traveling to Greenland on Wednesday for a three-day trip aimed at building the trust of Greenlandic officials at a time that the Trump administration is seeking control of the vast Arctic territory.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced plans for her visit after U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited a U.S. air base in Greenland last week and accused Denmark of underinvesting in the territory.
Greenland is a mineral-rich, strategically critical island that is becoming more accessible due to climate change. Trump has said that the landmass is critical to U.S. security. It is part of North America but is a semiautonomous territory belonging to the Kingdom of Denmark.
Frederiksen is due to meet the incoming Greenlandic leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, after an election last month that produced a new government. She is also to meet with the future Naalakkersuisut, the Cabinet, in a visit due to last through Friday.
“It has my deepest respect how the Greenlandic people and the Greenlandic politicians handle the great pressure that is on Greenland,” she said in government statement announcing the visit.
On the agenda are talks with Nielsen about cooperation between Greenland and Denmark.
For years, the people of Greenland, with a population of about 57,000, have been working toward eventual independence from Denmark.
The Trump administration’s threats to take control of the island one way or the other, possibly even with military force, have angered many in Greenland and Denmark. The incoming government wants to take a slower approach on the question of eventual independence.
The political group in Greenland most sympathetic to the U.S. president, the Naleraq party that advocates a swift path toward independence, was excluded from coalition talks to form the next government.
Peter Viggo Jakobsen, associate professor at the Danish Defense Academy, said last week that Trump administration’s aspirations for Greenland could backfire and push the more mild parties closer to Denmark.
He said that “Trump has scared most Greenlanders away from this idea about a close relationship to the United States because they don’t trust him.”
Inflation is holding steady as Trump’s tariffs have yet to fully hit
Consumer prices in May were up 2.4% from a year ago, but inflation eased on a monthly basis, according to the latest figures from the Labor Department
In photographs, scientists revel in the world they seek to discover
The magazine Nature announced the results of its annual Scientist at Work photography contest. The six winning entries are a set of dramatic, intimate portraits of research from all over the globe.
How homeowners are saving on insurance by upgrading their houses against disasters
Home insurance is getting pricier as hurricanes and wildfires get worse. States are trying new incentives, encouraging homeowners to retrofit homes against disasters to get an insurance discount.
How Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ threatens access to Obamacare
If the law passes, new paperwork requirements and other logistical hurdles could lead to millions of people on ACA plans becoming uninsured, according to Congressional Budget Office.
Hong Kong police accuse mobile game of promoting ‘armed revolution’
The crackdown on the video game and its users is just the latest in what democracy and human rights advocates say is an erosion of Hong Kong's civil rights and freedoms.
Protests grow across the U.S. as people push against Trump’s mass deportation policies
Protests of President Trump's immigration policies grew across the U.S. on Tuesday, with rallies held in New York City, Chicago and Seattle.