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Pop Icon Sparks Greenland Independence Push White House Escalates Takeover Talk

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Bjork
Photo Credit: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Icelandic pop icon Björk jolted the Greenland debate by urging independence from Denmark just as President Donald Trump intensified demands to bring the strategic Arctic island under U.S. control.

The singer’s intervention landed amid surging global attention on Greenland following Trump’s latest national security warnings and his refusal to rule out force to secure the territory for Washington.

Trump’s renewed focus on Greenland followed a dramatic weekend that reshaped international expectations, with the United States carrying out a military operation in Venezuela that removed socialist leader Nicolás Maduro from power.

That intervention immediately triggered speculation about whether other strategically valuable regions could face similar pressure from Washington, placing Greenland squarely back in the spotlight.

Björk, a Reykjavík-born artist known for mixing activism with art, stepped into the growing diplomatic clash by directly addressing Greenlanders and encouraging a clean break from Danish rule.

“I wish all Greenlanders blessing in their fight for independence. Icelanders are extremely relieved that they managed to break from the Danish in 1944,” Björk wrote on X.

She framed independence as a hard-earned victory Iceland itself secured during World War II, presenting Greenland’s future as a choice that should belong to its own people rather than foreign powers.

Björk pointed to Denmark’s long and troubled record governing Greenland, highlighting historical grievances that continue to fuel resentment among Greenlanders.

She referenced a recently exposed scandal involving thousands of Greenlandic girls who were fitted with contraceptive coils without consent between 1966 and 1991, before Greenland assumed control of its health system.

That revelation forced Denmark’s leadership into damage control, with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issuing a formal apology last September in an effort to rebuild what she called “mutual trust.”

Björk argued the apology did little to erase decades of harm, while suggesting Danish oversight failures did not end when Greenland gained domestic autonomy in 1979.

She cited renewed outrage over Danish authorities removing children from Greenlandic families using so-called “parenting competency” tests, a practice that has stirred anger across the island.

Despite urging independence, Björk delivered a sharp warning aimed squarely at Washington, cautioning that Greenland could trade one form of control for another.

“Colonialism has repeatedly given me horror chills up my back, and the chance that my fellow Greenlanders might go from one cruel coloniser to another is too brutal to even imagine,” she wrote.

The singer has pushed the same message for years, including through her 2007 song “Declare Independence,” which openly called on Greenland and the Faroe Islands to sever ties with Denmark.

While Björk’s comments reverberated online, Trump continued pressing his case that Greenland’s location makes it indispensable to U.S. security interests.

Speaking to reporters, the president described the island as increasingly vulnerable amid rising global competition in the Arctic.

“It’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump told reporters Sunday.

“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he added.

The White House quickly moved to downplay fears of imminent conflict while doubling down on the core argument that Greenland should fall under U.S. authority.

Deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller dismissed speculation about military action during an interview with CNN.

“The United States should have Greenland as part of the United States,” Miller said.

“There’s no need to even think or talk about this in the context that you’re asking, of a military operation,” he continued.

Miller predicted little resistance if Washington pressed forward, insisting, “Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland.”

Danish leaders reacted with alarm, warning that Trump’s rhetoric threatened long-standing alliances.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen flatly rejected any suggestion that Washington had a legitimate claim.

“It makes absolutely no sense to speak of any necessity for the United States to take over Greenland. The United States has no legal basis to annex one of the three countries of the Kingdom of Denmark,” Frederiksen said in a statement.

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She reminded Washington that Greenland’s status already places it within NATO and noted existing agreements granting U.S. forces broad access to the island.

“I therefore strongly urge the United States to cease its threats against a historically close ally, and against another country and another people who have stated very clearly that they are not for sale,” she said.

Frederiksen escalated her warning during a TV2 interview, cautioning that a U.S. attack would shatter the alliance system built since World War II.

“I believe one should take the American president seriously when he says that he wants Greenland,” she said.

“But I will also make it clear that if the U.S. chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops, including NATO and thus the security that has been established since the end of the Second World War,” she added.

Greenland’s own leadership also pushed back, with Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen accusing Trump of crossing a line.

“We have been the USA’s close and loyal friend for generations,” Nielsen wrote on Facebook.

“That is why the current and recent rhetoric from the US is completely unacceptable,” he added.

Nielsen rejected comparisons to Venezuela and criticized talk of intervention.

“When the US president says that ‘we need Greenland’ and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it is not just wrong. It’s disrespectful,” he wrote.

While acknowledging Greenland’s strategic value, Nielsen stressed the need for mutual respect.

“But alliances are built on trust. And trust requires respect,” he wrote.

“Threats, pressure and talk of annexation have no place between friends. That is not how you speak to a people who have shown responsibility, stability and loyalty time and again,” he continued.

“Enough is enough. No more pressure. No more innuendo. No more fantasies of annexation,” Nielsen added.

Lawmakers in Washington also signaled concern, with Republican Sen. Thom Tillis and Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen issuing a rare joint warning.

They urged the administration to “respect the sovereignty and the territorial integrity” of Denmark and Greenland.

“When Denmark and Greenland make it clear that Greenland is not for sale, the United States must honor its treaty obligations and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” the senators said.

They cautioned that pushing the issue risked deep fractures within NATO during a volatile global moment.

“With an active war in Ukraine and rising threats from Russia and China in the Arctic and Indo-Pacific, we cannot afford distractions or divisions within NATO,” they warned.

European leaders and Canada echoed that stance, rallying behind Greenland as Trump’s pressure campaign intensified.

A joint statement from leaders in France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark reaffirmed that Greenland’s future belongs to its people.

“Greenland belongs to its people,” the statement said. “It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.

On Friday, Trump argued that acquiring Greenland is necessary for the United States’ national security, and said that he was considering putting tariffs on countries that do not support the move.

“I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that,” he remarked.

While speaking to reporters outside of the White House, he added, “NATO has been dealing with us on Greenland. We need Greenland for national security very badly.”

“If we don’t have it, we have a big hole in national security, especially when it comes to what we’re doing in terms of the Golden Dome and all of the other things. We have a lot of investments in military,” Trump noted. “We’re talking to NATO.”

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