Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says she is “annoyed” at Donald Trump’s decision to cancel his visit after his idea to buy Greenland was rebuffed, although Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she believed relations would not be affected.
“Our preparations were well under way,” she said, adding she had been looking forward to meeting the US president.
Frederiksen reiterated that the island of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, could not be bought.
Trump was scheduled to visit on 2 September at the invitation of Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II.
But last week, he suggested that his administration was interested in buying Greenland – an idea that Frederiksen at the time described as “absurd”.
Trump’s proposal at first elicited incredulity and humour from politicians in Denmark, a NATO ally of the United States, with former premier Lars Lokke Rasmussen saying: “It must be an April Fool’s Day joke.”
Frederiksen, a centre-left Social Democrat, said she learned of Trump’s decision “with regret and surprise”, given Denmark’s strong relations with Washington, but repeated her opposition to any Greenland transaction.
She stressed that Greenland’s premier Kim Kielsen had ruled out selling off the territory and “I obviously agree with him”.
Trump, whose “America First” policies have resulted in strained relations with the EU over trade and other issues, said on Sunday a U.S. purchase of Greenland would be “a large real estate deal.”
“Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time,” Trump tweeted on Tuesday.