The previous Danish envoy to Greenland has asserted that US President Donald Trump requires authorization from a third nation if he intends to realize his promise to acquire the self-governing territory.
Tom Høyem, 83, who served as Copenhagen’s chief representative to Greenland from 1982 to 1987, revealed to The Sunday Times that he thinks the United Kingdom possesses legal grounds to stake a claim to the Arctic region ahead of the United States.
“Should Trump attempt to purchase Greenland, he would need to consult London beforehand,” he remarked during an interview with the publication. “The UK stipulated in 1917 that if Greenland were ever to be sold, it should be given the first opportunity to buy it.”
Høyem alleged that this arrangement emerged when Woodrow Wilson, who was US president from 1913 to 1921, tried to acquire Greenland that same year as part of a comprehensive deal that included the current US Virgin Islands.
According to him, Denmark declined the offer and conditioned the sale of what was then called the Danish West Indies on the United States signing a document affirming that Greenland “is and will forever be Danish,” he stated to The Sunday Times.
“I have personally seen the original document in a museum,” Høyem continued. “This indicates that the United States has legally acknowledged that Greenland is, and will always remain, Danish. Yet it appears Trump has never come across this information.”
He further expressed that he believes the UK’s claim under the 1917 agreement arose due to Canada’s status as a British dominion at the time, sharing a long maritime border with Greenland.
Canada is situated mere miles away from Greenland across the Nares Strait and, since 2022, has a land border on the small Hans Island. Canada obtained legal autonomy in 1931 and eliminated remaining British oversight in 1982 when it adopted its own constitution.
It remains uncertain whether Britain would pursue a claim to Greenland, or if Høyem’s interpretation of the document would hold up under legal examination.
Trump, who has proposed the notion of acquiring Greenland utilizing America’s economic and military resources, reportedly had a “heated conversation” with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen earlier this month, according to the Financial Times.
The FT, referencing high-ranking European officials, noted that Trump was “aggressive and confrontational” while boasting about his intentions to assert control over the Danish territory. Trump has publicly expressed his desire for the resource-rich land for reasons of national security.
Frederiksen was said to have reminded Trump of her previously declared stance during the call, emphasized that Greenland is not for sale.
Officials from Greenland, including Prime Minister Múte Egede, have also reiterated their lack of interest in becoming part of the United States. Egede supports the idea of Greenland evolving into a fully independent nation and has indicated that a sovereign Greenland would be open to closer ties with the United States while maintaining its connections with Europe.
Against the backdrop of international attention on Greenland, Prime Minister Múte Egede utilized his New Year’s address to advocate for complete independence from Denmark: he proclaimed it was “now time to take the next step for our country” to break free from the “the shackles of the colonial era and advance.”
“It is now time to take the next step for our country,” Egede expressed in his New Year’s speech. “Like other nations around the globe, we need to eliminate the barriers to cooperation — which can be identified as the remnants of colonialism — and progress,”
Egede has mentioned that he thinks a referendum on independence could potentially take place as early as April, coinciding with Greenland’s legislative elections.
Høyem conveyed to the Sunday Times that he believes the people of Greenland should stay integrated with Denmark, as it currently provides around €500 million in annual subsidies. Conversely, Greenland boasts significant yet largely untapped mineral riches that could bolster its economic advancement.
