Greenlanders have spoken 📣—and they're not interested in becoming the 51st state of the U.S.!
According to a recent opinion poll reported by Danish daily Berlingske, a whopping 85% of Greenlanders said \"no way\" to the idea of their Arctic island joining the United States. Only 6% were in favor, with 9% undecided.
This comes after U.S. President Donald Trump declared earlier this month that Greenland is vital to U.S. security and suggested that Denmark should give up control of the strategically important island. He's even hinted at using military force 💥 to make it happen.
Denmark isn't taking this lightly. On Monday, they announced they'll be spending 14.6 billion crowns (about $2.04 billion) to boost their military presence in the Arctic. 🇩🇰💪
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has been busy rallying support, meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. She's got Europe's backing to counter Trump's ambitions.
Meanwhile, Greenland's own Prime Minister Mute Egede, who has been pushing for independence, has made it clear that the island isn't for sale. \"It's very understandable that people are worried. But the most important thing now is that people remain calm,\" he said. \"We must be able to meet and talk about this calmly.\"
Fun fact 💡: With a land mass larger than Mexico but a population of just 57,000, Greenland was granted broad self-governing autonomy in 2009. They even have the right to declare independence from Denmark through a referendum.
The U.S. already has a presence on the island with the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, a key spot for ballistic missile early-warning systems. So it's no wonder the island is strategically significant!
Stay tuned as this Arctic drama unfolds! 🌨️❄️
Reference(s):
Poll: 85% of Greenlanders do not want to be part of the U.S.
cgtn.com
