Greenland's prime minister has said his people would choose Denmark over the US if they were asked to make such a choice here and now.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen's remark at a joint news conference with Denmark's prime minister is the strongest by a representative of the semi-autonomous Danish territory since US President Donald Trump renewed his plan to annex it.
Trump says the US needs to own Greenland to defend against Russia and China. The White House has suggested buying the island, but not ruled out the use of force to annex it.
Denmark is a fellow Nato member and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that military force would spell the end of the trans-Atlantic defence alliance.
Despite being the most sparsely populated territory, Greenland's location between North America and the Arctic makes it well placed for early warning systems in the event of missile attacks, and for monitoring vessels in the region.
At the news conference in the Danish capital Copenhagen, Frederiksen did not mince her words as she condemned the completely unacceptable pressure from their closest ally.
Nielsen emphasized, One thing must be clear to everyone. Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed by the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States.
Denmark's NATO allies have rallied to support Denmark, emphasizing that only Denmark and Greenland can decide on their relations, while also expressing a commitment to uphold UN principles regarding sovereignty and territorial integrity.
