Threats of a U.S. takeover are driving Greenland toward sovereignty and the prospect of equal footing with other Nordic countries.
The territory, along with the Faroe Islands and a Swedish-speaking region of Finland, is taking steps toward sovereignty, starting with a seat at the table at the annual Nordic Council, the region’s largest political forum.
This would, in effect, allow representatives of the territories to enter discussions on their own accord, outside of a bloc with the Danes. The changes were first proposed in 2025, but practicalities are being worked out since talks in mid-April, officials tell the U.K.’s Times .
Arctic sovereignty is top of the agenda of this year’s summit. A plan to include the three territories as members has passed first reading in a preliminary spring session earlier this year, and the promise of membership is seen by hopefuls as a step toward full independence.
While the move is seen as relatively modest, and would not result in the independence its leaders have long sought, discussions in Copenhagen have begun in tandem that would grant increased autonomy to the Danish territories.
The diplomatic push comes at a time when the Arctic has become a geostrategic frontier, where a power struggle with the U.S., China and Russia is expected to take shape.
Under U.S. President Donald Trump, the threat of bringing Greenland under U.S. control has been made explicit, changing the tenor of discussions with Denmark.
Under a “much-discussed” proposal, Greenland and the Faroes would become autonomous while ceding preferential rights over military matters, the U.K. Times reports.
A separate option seeks to allow the territories to operate freely, similar to the deal the Cook Islands enjoys with New Zealand, it says.
The changes are meant to foster unity in discussions with the EU, NATO, and not least the U.S., but officials speaking to The Times also questioned whether the reforms, while necessary, are commensurate with the scale of disruption facing the High North.
The focus of this year’s annual meeting, taking place later this year, will be to increase competitiveness in the Nordic region, establishing Greenland’s role in the council and “in particular … enhancing “security and the role of the Nordic Region in the world,” according to the body’s website. Another major order of business will be amending the Nordic constitution, which admits only Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden as full members.
In addition to granting seats to Greenland and the Faroe Islands, a permanent council seat would also be granted to Åland, a largely autonomous region of Finland in which a large majority of its 30,000 residents speak Swedish.
Trump’s actions toward Greenland have included threats to take ownership of the territory, while negotiating with Denmark, a NATO ally, to increase military presence, including reopening two abandoned U.S. bases. In a January interview with The New York Times, when asked about the dilemma of preserving NATO or obtaining Greenland, he replied : “It may be a choice.”
Trump has said his desire to acquire Greenland is rooted in a quest to secure the region, at times appearing to suggest the use of force if necessary.
“We don’t want Russia or China going to Greenland, which, if we don’t take Greenland, you’re going to have Russia or China as your next-door neighbour. That’s not going to happen,” he said earlier this year. “I would like to make a deal, you know, the easy way. But if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.”
Shortly after, in February, the U.S. Army sent 4,000 soldiers to participate in Arctic combat training in the Yukon Training Center in Alaska. The 11th Airborne Division tested its survival skills while engaging in mock battles over 10 days in subzero conditions, The New York Times reported this week.
The subject of Arctic security had also been a point of contention between Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Trump administration. Carney has since played a bigger role in the region, spending $32 billion to improve airfields, fuelling and weapons storage across four bases in addition to boosting operations in the remote north.
While the push to unity moves ahead, Canada’s neighbour to the north will also have internal fences to mend before the talk for autonomy gets fully underway. Denmark’s ruling centre-left party has struggled internally since March in trying to string together a coalition, with talks breaking down again Friday.
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