Denmark has firmly rejected renewed demands by US President Donald Trump for American control of Greenland, with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declaring the Arctic island "not for sale" and vowing to defend the Danish territory. Speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, she said Denmark was "ready to defend every inch of NATO including our own territory" and called on NATO allies to honour their mutual defence commitments. The stand-off matters because it pits a US president against a fellow NATO member over the sovereignty of strategically vital Arctic territory, straining the alliance.

Frederiksen urged all allies to respect the Greenlandic people's right to self-determination as well as Danish sovereignty and territorial integrity. Trump countered that Greenland "should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark," arguing it was "very important" for global security and needed "for protection of the world." He also claimed the dispute had "hurt" his relationship with NATO, accused Denmark of failing to spend money to support Greenland, and noted the island was "surrounded by China ships and Russian ships," reflecting concerns about Russian and Chinese ambitions in the Arctic.