Greenland says red lines must be respected as Trump says US will have ‘total’ access to island

Island’s PM says sovereignty is non-negotiable after Trump claimed agreement would give US full access with ‘no end, no time limit'

Aviaq Brandt protests against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Greenland has demanded its red lines on sovereignty be respected after Donald Trump claimed an agreement with Nato would give the US full and permanent access to the Arctic island, the object of an increasingly bitter months-long dispute.

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland’s prime minister, said on Thursday he did not know what was in the deal but the largely self-governing territory wanted a “peaceful dialogue” with the US, and its sovereignty was non-negotiable.