Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen embrace as they leave the venue after a meeting in Nuuk, Greenland, on January 23, 2026.
Jonathan Knackstrand | AFP | Getty Images
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen issued a defiant message on Wednesday about the future of the Arctic island, while Denmark warned that the world order as we know it is over.
Political leaders attending a forum in the French capital aimed at boosting support from European allies sought to present a united front amid threats to Greenland from US President Donald Trump.
“The world order as we know it, which we have been fighting for for 80 years, is over. I don’t think it will return,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at the University of Sciences Po in Paris, France, according to Reuters.
“The best way forward for the United States and Europe is to come together… We will try to find a way forward with the United States. We share concerns about Arctic security. Russia does not want peace with Europe,” he added.
Meanwhile, Greenland’s Nielsen said the autonomous Danish territory agreed that increased surveillance and security in the Arctic was needed “due to Russia’s current actions.” But he added that Greenland would not bow to foreign pressure.
“What we are dealing with as a government is trying to deal with an external backlash and a frightened public,” Nielsen said.
The comments came shortly after Nielsen and Frederiksen met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Tuesday.
In a surprise move, President Trump, who has long claimed control of Greenland, said last week that he had secured the framework for a future agreement on Greenland. The US president did not give further details at the time, but said talks continued to reach an agreement.
