Hundreds of people are expected to protest the opening of a new US consulate in Nuuk, after the US special envoy to Greenland said it was time for Washington to “put its footprint back” on the Arctic territory.
Many Greenlandic politicians, including the prime minister, have said they will not attend the official opening on Thursday.
The US special envoy, Jeff Landry, arrived in Nuuk uninvited with a delegation that included a doctor, who sparked anger by saying he was there to “assess the medical needs of Greenland.” Landry briefly attended a business conference with the US ambassador to Denmark, Kenneth Lowery, and left Nuuk on Wednesday night.
During his visit, Landry told Agence France-Presse that he believed it was “time for the US to put its footprint back on Greenland.”
He said: “Greenland needs the US. I think you’re seeing the president talk about increasing national security operations and repopulating certain bases in Greenland.”
Meanwhile, negotiations between the US, Greenland, and Denmark are ongoing, even though Denmark is currently without a fully functioning government due to record-long coalition talks.
Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, repeated this week that the largely autonomous territory—a former Danish colony that remains part of the Danish kingdom—is not for sale. But he also said Greenland is “obliged to find a solution” with the US.
The US already had a consulate in Nuuk, in a modest traditional-style building, but moving to new premises in a modern high-rise is a sign of its growing presence.
Aqqalukkuluk Fontain, a 37-year-old IT account manager who is organizing the protest because of strong opposition to the US presence in Nuuk, said: “It’s very important, now more than ever, to show the American people what we’ve already said: that no means no, and that the future and self-determination of Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people.”
Fontain added: “The protest itself is not to provoke Donald Trump or Jeff Landry, but to show the world that Greenland has its own democracy.”
He said the future of Greenland is a concern for the whole world. “It is very dangerous what the United States is trying to do, because if Greenland falls, the world will fall and it might lead to World War Three.”
Christian Keldsen, CEO of the Greenland Business Association, which organized the Future Greenland conference, said Landry did not get the reception he was hoping for.
“Three months ago, Greenland was under threat of invasion and takeover, and he [Landry] was one of the people supporting that statement,” he said. “Then three months later, you show up here wanting to make friends, handing out chocolate to children and trying to hand out MAGA caps.”
Among the conference speakers was Rufus Gifford, the US ambassador to Denmark from 2013 to 2017, who criticized comments Landry made to reporters suggesting no high-level diplomats had visited Greenland before Trump became president.
“He wants Greenlanders to be grateful to Donald Trump. You are way in over your head, man. Way in over your head. Go home,” Gifford said in a video posted on social media.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to invade Greenland, which he says he needs for US national security. Besides its location on the shortest missile route between the US and Russia, Greenland is also drawing global attention for its rare-earth minerals and its strategic position for shipping as polar ice melts.
A US Northern Command spokesperson told the Guardian last month that the US is “evaluating options to strengthen homeland defence efforts in Greenland” and that any new defence areas would be established “in accordance with the 1951 agreement on the defence of Greenland.”The spokesperson outlined plans for “significant investment” in Pituffik, where the US already has a base, and mentioned the possibility of “expanding defence areas beyond Pituffik.” Among other sites being considered was Narsarsuaq, a settlement in southern Greenland, but they stressed that no final decisions had been made.
Northcom said the US was also looking into using deep-water ports and longer airfields, “particularly to support maritime surveillance and operations in the North Atlantic and to track activity past the Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap.”
They added that the US was “coordinating with the kingdom of Denmark on site surveys and assessments,” which were expected to take several months.
While talks among political leaders in Copenhagen have entered their eighth week following a general election in March, the foreign policy committee continues to meet. Denmark’s acting foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, will attend Thursday’s NATO meeting of foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will also be there.
In an interview with the Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq, Landry appeared to try to build on Greenland’s future hopes for full independence from Denmark.
“I think there are some incredible opportunities that can actually lift Greenlanders from dependency to independence,” he said. “I think the president of the United States would like to see the country become economically independent. And I think it’s possible here.”
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Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the situation you described covering a range of knowledge levels
General Background Questions
Q Why are people planning to protest at the new US consulate in Greenland
A The protests are in response to a statement from a Trump administration envoy who said it was time for the US to put its footprint back on Greenland Many Greenlanders and Danes see this as a push for US control or influence which they strongly oppose
Q Is the US trying to buy or take over Greenland
A The US has expressed interest in Greenland before but Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly said it is not for sale The recent statement about a footprint has renewed fears that the US is trying to increase its military or economic presence which some view as a form of pressure or takeover
Q What is the new consulate for
A The US reopened a consulate in Nuuk in 2020 after closing it in 1953 Its official purpose is to strengthen diplomatic economic and security ties Critics say its also a base for advancing US strategic interests in the Arctic
Advanced Political Questions
Q What does put its footprint back actually mean in this context
A The phrase is vague but its widely interpreted as the US wanting to reestablish a stronger physical and strategic presencelikely including military assets intelligence facilities or economic leveragein Greenland It echoes past US efforts to secure a foothold in the Arctic
Q What specific US actions are triggering the protests
A The immediate trigger is the envoys public statement However underlying causes include the US push for expanded mineral rights potential military base upgrades and the perception that the US is ignoring Greenlands own sovereignty and desire for selfdetermination
Q How does this relate to the 2019 proposal to buy Greenland
