Warm sunset light reflected on a hilltop as people walk along a snow-covered street in Nuuk, Greenland, on January 21, 2026. PHOTO: Mads Claus Rasmussen/AFP/Profimedia
Donald Trump's announcement of a draft agreement on Greenland was met with skepticism on the autonomous island that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, where many residents say they are disappointed by the sudden changes in position of the American president, writes AFP.
Several Greenlanders interviewed by the French news agency in Nuuk, the capital of the territory coveted by Donald Trump, were skeptical of the news or said they refused to believe it.
“Simply a lie. He's lying,” reacted Mickel Nielsen, a 47-year-old technician.
“I don't believe anything he says and I think I'm not the only one,” the man added.
From the Swiss ski resort of Davos, which hosts the World Economic Forum, Trump announced Wednesday night, without elaborating, that he had laid out the framework for a future deal on Greenland during a meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte.
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“Tonight's meeting was very good. But there is still a lot to do,” Mark Rutte told AFP.
“Trump? I don't think so,” commented Anak, a 64-year-old nurse.
“Greenland is the land of the Greenlanders. We cannot dispose of it like this, for anything. In any case, not for Trump,” the woman added.
The same sentiment is shared by Miki, who agreed to speak under this pseudonym.
“He can say something and two minutes later say the exact opposite. So it's hard to believe him,” the 31-year-old explained.
Donald Trump refused to say whether the compromise under discussion gives the United States possession of the self-governing Danish territory, as he has repeatedly demanded.
But he then asserted that the draft agreement under discussion gives the United States “everything (they) wanted.” “I think this puts everybody in a very good position, especially in terms of security, minerals and everything else,” the White House leader said as he left the Forum in Switzerland.
“The ultimate long-term deal.” The first details about the last-minute deal on Greenland, given by Trump just as he was leaving Davos
“NATO has no right to negotiate anything without us, Greenland. Nothing about us, without us,” reacted Greenlandic MP Aaja Chenmitz, one of two Greenlandic representatives in the Danish parliament.
“And the fact that NATO has a say in our country and our minerals is completely insane,” she added.
Earlier in the day, the Greenlandic government released a long-prepared booklet, according to the Nuuk authorities, that provides advice to the population in the event of a “crisis”.
Hunting weapons and supplies. Under Trump threats, Greenland publishes 'crisis' guide
According to the most recent opinion poll, published last January, 85% of Greenlanders oppose the annexation of the island by the United States. Only 6% are in favor of such a move.
