‘We don’t want to be Americans,’ says Greenland’s political leaders, rebuffing Trump

The leaders of Greenland's five political parties sent a message to US President Donald Trump saying that despite his push to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory, they have no wish to be Americans.

In a joint statement released on Friday, the party leaders said: "We do not want to be Americans, we do not want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders."

They added: "We would like to emphasize once again our desire for the US' disdain for our country to end. The future of Greenland must be decided by the Greenlandic people."

The statement also highlighted that the island territory has increased its "international participation" in recent years.

"We must again call for that dialogue to continue to be based on diplomacy and international principles," they said.

The leaders announced that a meeting of the parliament, the Inatsisartut, will be brought forward to ensure "that a fair and comprehensive political debate takes place and that the people's rights are secured."

The statement follows repeated comments by Trump voicing interest in taking over Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Speaking at a White House event on Friday, Trump said: "We are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not, because if we don't do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we're not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor."

He added, continuing his refusal to rule out a military takeover: "I would like to make a deal the easy way, but if we don't do it the easy way, we will do it the hard way."

Trump's comments have drawn widespread condemnation, with European countries in particular warning that such a move could mean the end of NATO.