The longstanding leader of Greenland's largest labour union has issued a forceful rebuke to former US President Donald Trump's renewed calls for the United States to annex the Arctic territory, declaring emphatically that Greenland 'will not be annexed' and 'is not for sale'.
Union Leader Dismisses 'Unrecognisable' Security Claims
In an exclusive interview, Jess Berthelsen, who has chaired the SIK national trade union confederation for over three decades, rejected Trump's assertion that Greenland's waters are teeming with Russian and Chinese ships, posing a national security threat to the US. 'We can't see it, we can't recognize it and we can't understand it,' Berthelsen told The Guardian.
Trump made the claims aboard Air Force One, stating, 'We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.' Berthelsen countered this directly, questioning the basis of the allegation. 'The Danish navy is traveling in Greenland waters, and our big trawlers are also everywhere. If that had been the case, they could have told us already, but there's no such thing,' he stated.
European Solidarity and the Threat of Force
The Trump administration's threats have intensified recently, with officials reportedly considering military force as an option, following a model similar to the raid in Venezuela. Stephen Miller, Trump's deputy chief of staff for policy, claimed 'nobody' was 'going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland'.
This stance has prompted a rare unified rebuke from European leaders. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared jointly that 'It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland'.
Greenland's Path to Self-Determination
Berthelsen emphasised that Greenland is a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark with its own self-government. SIK, representing thousands of workers from fishers to government employees, focuses on improving daily life through agreements with local government and private employers, with a long-term goal of national independence.
Public opinion in Greenland strongly supports this trajectory. A 2025 poll found 84% of Greenlanders support independence, while a mere 6% back a US takeover. The territory has a population of approximately 57,000.
Berthelsen argued that constant threats, including those of military intervention, fundamentally undermine cooperation. 'It's not very comfortable to receive threats from a lifelong friend, a lifelong ally,' he said. 'Cooperation cannot take place if we are receiving threats like these constantly. How can we cooperate when we are receiving constant threats with military intervention? Nobody does that to their friends.'
He reiterated that US companies, like any other, are welcome to do business in Greenland under existing frameworks, but the territory's future is not negotiable. The White House, when contacted, stated through press secretary Karoline Leavitt that 'all options are always on the table' for President Trump, but that his first option is always diplomacy.
