NEW: Greenland Leader Calls For Independence As Trump Pushes to Acquire The Territory

Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede announced a desire to declare independence from Denmark in response to President-elect Donald Trump’s desire to acquire the territory, according to a report. Trump first floated the idea of buying the massive, sparsely populated arctic island during his first term in the White House and has reiterated his desire to buy the territory in the weeks following his election victory in November.

“The Greenlandic people’s opportunity for independence has been adopted through the provisions of the Self-Government Act, thereby creating a legal basis for how independence can be achieved,” Egede said in a New Year’s Day speech earlier this week.

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“A draft constitution for our country has also been prepared,” he said. “Work has already begun with regard to creating the framework for Greenland as an independent state within the possibilities and provisions of the Self-Government Act.”

Egede meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in 2021

Egede’s speech comes just over a week after President-elect Trump once again expressed interest in purchasing the island after announcing that Ken Howery will be serving as Ambassador to Denmark in Trump’s second administration. “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Trump concluded in the December 23 Truth Social post.

The territory’s leader immediately responded in a statement of his own, stating that Greenland is not for sale. “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom,” he said.

Egede expanded on his statement in the New Years Day speech, pointing to several steps taken towards improving the territory’s autonomy, including the building of a new international airport. “In the coming summer, it will now be possible to reach us directly from other countries, without first traveling via Denmark, it will therefore be possible for us to develop and govern our country more independently,” he said, adding that plans for additional airports are underway. Egede further stated that Greenland will continue to develop its infrastructure in order to attract tourists and trade partners.

In 2019, then-President Trump told reporters he was “interested” in purchasing the natural resource-rich island from Denmark. The territory currently hosts a population of a little under 60,000 people, almost 90 percent of whom are native Inuits.

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