Greenland says it chooses Denmark and rules out joining the U.S.

Greenland's prime minister said the island will remain part of the Kingdom of Denmark and explicitly ruled out joining the United States, ahead of talks in Washington between Danish, Greenlandic and U.S. officials.

Greenland's prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said the island prefers to remain part of the Kingdom of Denmark and ruled out joining the United States. He made the remarks at a joint press conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Copenhagen. Nielsen described the situation as very serious and criticized recent U.S. threats to annex the island. The comments come before a planned meeting in Washington involving Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers and senior U.S. officials. Key developments: - Nielsen said that if a choice must be made between the United States and Denmark, Greenland chooses Denmark. - He said Greenland stands within the Kingdom of Denmark and emphasized unity in protecting fundamental principles. - The meeting in Washington is scheduled to include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Vice President JD Vance, and aims to address renewed tensions. - Opinion polls and recent elections were reported as showing broad Greenlandic resistance to joining the United States and support for a slow approach to independence. - Several European countries, led by the UK and Germany, have discussed a possible military presence in Greenland and German officials reiterated support for Denmark's territorial integrity and multilateral Arctic security. Summary: Nielsen's statement signals a clear preference to remain in union with Denmark and sets aside immediate talk of joining the United States. The upcoming diplomatic talks in Washington are intended to address and de-escalate the recent tensions and to seek clarity on security arrangements in the North Atlantic and Arctic.