85 percent of Greenlanders don’t want to be part of US: Survey

A large majority of residents in Greenland are against President Trump’s wish to acquire the island territory, according to a survey published Wednesday.

The Verian poll, conducted for Danish newspaper Berlingske and Greenland’s newspaper Sermitsiaq, found that 85 percent of the Arctic island’s residents do not want to join the U.S. Another 6 percent of respondents said they were in favor of joining, while 9 percent were undecided. 

Roughly 45 percent of the island’s residents see Trump’s push to take control as a “threat.” Another 43 percent said they see it as an “opportunity,” while 13 percent were undecided, according to the survey.

Trump has argued that the U.S. acquiring Greenland is paramount for national defense and that Denmark will eventually “come along” on the potential sale of the autonomous territory. He did not rule out using military force to get it done. 

Both Denmark and Greenland’s leadership have repeatedly asserted that the island, which is rich in rare earth minerals, is not for sale. 

“We don’t want to be Danes,” Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede previously said. “We don’t even want to be Americans. We want to be Greenlanders.”

On Monday, Alaska’s Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) released a statement with the Danish member of Parliament Aaja Chemnitz saying the “future will be defined by partnership, not ownership.” 

“To ensure our alliance reaches its full potential, Americans must view Greenland as an ally, not an asset,” the pair wrote. “Open for business, but not for sale.” 

Denmark also said this week it is increasing defense spending for Greenland, announcing a $2 billion security package that includes new Arctic ships and long-range drones. 

The Verian poll was conducted from Jan. 22-26 among 497 respondents. The margin of error was between 1.9 percentage points and 4.4 percentage points.