Residents report sleep difficulties because of US statements: Greenland

US President Donald Trump's remarks on annexing or buying Greenland have caused "a great deal of worry," Greenland's energy minister said Tuesday, adding that residents are even reporting difficulties sleeping.

Minister for Business, and Mineral Resources, Naaja Nathanielsen, said the prime minister, as well as all party leaders in Greenland, have made "quite clear" that Greenland "has no intentions of becoming American."

"It is not something we have aimed for, worked for, but we have worked towards more collaboration with Americans for many, many years; we are an American ally, but we do not see ourselves as becoming American," she said at an event in the UK parliament in London.

Saying that Greenlanders feel "betrayed" with Trump's rhetoric on the island, Nathanielsen noted that residents are concerned about messages from the US about annexing or buying Greenland.

"We feel that the rhetoric is offensive, as we have said many times before, but also bewildering because we have done nothing but support the notion that Greenland is a part of the American national self-interest," said Nathanielsen.

"It causes a great deal of worry about the future. People are reporting difficulties to sleep. This is really filling the agenda and the discussions around the households," she added.

Asked about US concerns about Arctic security on the increasing presence of Russia and China, she said Russia is an Arctic state while China has been interested in the Arctic for years, and noted that Greenland has urged more monitoring of the Arctic for years.

"We have no problems being more aware of what is going on around Greenland ... we have no problems with granting more access for NATO in Greenland," said Nathanielsen.

'WE WOULD ALL BE UNDER ATTACK'

In response to a question on whether she would expect backing from NATO allies in case of a US invasion, she said if that scenario were to happen, "everybody in this room and everybody in your countries will have to figure out what is this new world order about."

"Because it implies that it would be one country being attacked by another NATO partner, but actually we would all be under attack," she said, adding it would be a breakdown of the rule of law and international law, and existing agreements and treaties.

Her remarks came one day before senior Danish and Greenlandic officials are due to meet US officials in Washington.

The meeting will take place Wednesday with the attendance of Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, as well as US Vice President JD Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to reports.

Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, has attracted US interest due to its strategic location and vast mineral resources, but Trump's insistence on acquiring the island, including his refusal to rule out military force to get it, has attracted condemnation worldwide.

Trump, who gained fame as a real estate developer, has described owning Greenland as an "absolute necessity" for US economic security, comparing it to a "large real estate deal."

Denmark and Greenland have rejected proposals to sell the territory, reaffirming Danish sovereignty over the island.

Meanwhile, some European nations, including the UK, are in discussions to possibly deploy troops to the autonomous Danish territory, in a bid to ease Trump's security fears.