Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen meets Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Copenhagen on January 13, 2026. Photo: AFP

　　Greenland"s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on Tuesday reaffirmed the island"s ties with Denmark and rejected any suggestion that it could become a US territory, as Greenlandic and Danish foreign ministers are set to meet US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday following renewed US rhetoric about taking control of the autonomous Danish territory, according to multiple media reports.

　　"We face a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the US and Denmark here and now, then we choose Denmark," Nielsen told reporters in Copenhagen on Tuesday, standing alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. "We stand united in the Kingdom of Denmark," he said, according to a Reuters report.

　　Nielsen emphatically rejected the idea that Greenland could come under Washington"s control. "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," he said, according to a report from German media outlet Deutsche Welle (DW).

　　During the joint news conference, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen slammed what she called "unacceptable pressure" from Denmark"s closest ally, the US, over Greenland. She warned that "there are many indications that the most challenging part is ahead of us," per DW.