Copenhagen: US President Donald Trump has cancelled a state visit to Denmark after the nation's Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen said Greenland was not for sale to the US. Trump's visit was scheduled on September 2, at the invitation of Denmark's Queen Margrethe II.

Trump tweeted on Tuesday: "Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland,

I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time." Last week Trump had suggested that the US was interested in buying Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.

When Trump was asked on Sunday if he would consider trading a US territory for the island, he replied: "Well, a lot of things could be done." "Essentially it's a large real estate deal," he had said.

Danish politicians have launched a scathing critique of Trump for cancelling his visit to the Scandinavian country, Efe news reported. Many leading Danish politicians have taken to social media to criticise Trump's handling of the matter. "Trump lives on another planet.

Self-sufficient and disrespectful" Pernille Skipper, spokesperson for the Red-Green Alliance, tweeted. Former Prime Minister Helle Thorning also shared her bemusement over the issue.

"So the POTUS has cancelled his visit to Denmark because there was no interest in discussing selling Greenland. Is this some sort of joke? Deeply insulting to the people of Greenland and Denmark," she tweeted.

The opposition also shared its disbelief over the spat with the vice president of the liberal Venstre Party and former foreign affairs minister, Kristian Jensen, labelling it a diplomatic crisis.

"Total chaos with Donald Trump and cancellation of the state visit to Denmark. It has gone from a great opportunity for enhanced dialogue between allies to a diplomatic crisis.

Everyone should know that Greenland is not for sale," Jensen said. "Need to get the cooperation back on track," he added. Rasmus Jarlov, conservative spokesman for Greenland affairs, like many others, said Trump's actions were insulting.

"As a Dane (and a conservative) it is very hard to believe. For no reason Trump assumes that (an autonomous) part of our country is for sale. Then insultingly cancels visit that everybody was preparing for. </s> From left, Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Prime Minister of Iceland Katrin Jakobsdottir arrive at Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Tuesday Aug. 20, 2019, ahead of the Nordic Prime Ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Egill Bjarnason)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two days after he said buying Greenland wasn’t a top priority, President Donald Trump canceled an upcoming trip to Denmark, which owns the mostly frozen island, after its prime minister dismissed the idea.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had called Trump’s musing about buying the Danish territory “an absurd discussion” after the former real estate mogul-turned-president began to talk up the idea.

Trump said Sunday that he was interested in such a deal for strategic purposes, but said a purchase was not a priority at this time. “It’s not No. 1 on the burner,” he told reporters.

Trump even joked about his proposal as it came in for ridicule, tweeting a doctored photo of a glistening Trump skyscraper looming over a small village in the Arctic territory.

“I promise not to do this to Greenland,” he joked Monday.

But on Tuesday, Trump abruptly canceled the visit, also by tweet.

Just a few hours earlier, the U.S. ambassador to Denmark tweeted that it was “ready for the POTUS @realDonaldTrump visit!” using an acronym for “President of the United States” along with Trump’s Twitter handle.

Trump wrote: “Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time.”

He added: “The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct. I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!”

White House spokesman Judd Deere said later that the visit to Denmark has been canceled.

The White House announced in late July that Trump had accepted an invitation to visit Denmark’s Queen Margrethe and participate in a series of meetings, including with Frederiksen and business leaders.

The trip, set to begin at the end of August, includes a stop in Poland to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II.

Trump is expected to go ahead with the Warsaw visit.

Asked about Greenland on Sunday as he prepared to return to Washington after a vacation week at his central New Jersey home, Trump said “strategically … it would be nice” to own the island.

He also suggested he might not visit Denmark at all, saying he didn’t think the previously announced trip had been “absolutely set in stone yet.”

Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report. </s> WASHINGTON (AP) — Two days after he said buying Greenland wasn’t a top priority, President Donald Trump canceled an upcoming trip to Denmark, which owns the mostly frozen island, after its prime minister dismissed the idea.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had called Trump’s musing about buying the Danish territory “an absurd discussion” after the former real estate mogul-turned-president began to talk up the idea.

Trump said Sunday that he was interested in such a deal for strategic purposes, but said a purchase was not a priority at this time. “It’s not No. 1 on the burner,” he told reporters.

Trump even joked about his proposal as it came in for ridicule, tweeting a doctored photo of a glistening Trump skyscraper looming over a small village in the Arctic territory.

“I promise not to do this to Greenland,” he joked Monday.

But on Tuesday, Trump abruptly canceled the visit, also by tweet.

Just a few hours earlier, the U.S. ambassador to Denmark tweeted that it was “ready for the POTUS @realDonaldTrump visit!” using an acronym for “President of the United States” along with Trump’s Twitter handle.

Trump wrote: “Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time.”

He added: “The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct. I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!”

White House spokesman Judd Deere said later that the visit to Denmark has been canceled.

The White House announced in late July that Trump had accepted an invitation to visit Denmark’s Queen Margrethe and participate in a series of meetings, including with Frederiksen and business leaders.

The trip, set to begin at the end of August, includes a stop in Poland to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II.

Trump is expected to go ahead with the Warsaw visit.

Asked about Greenland on Sunday as he prepared to return to Washington after a vacation week at his central New Jersey home, Trump said “strategically … it would be nice” to own the island.

He also suggested he might not visit Denmark at all, saying he didn’t think the previously announced trip had been “absolutely set in stone yet.”

Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. </s> COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel a visit to Denmark next month after the prime minister described his plan to buy Greenland as “absurd” took the Danish royal palace by surprise, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Lene Balleby told The Associated Press Wednesday that the news was “a surprise” to the royal household, which formally had invited Trump to visit Denmark Sep. 2 and 3 as part of a European trip. She had no further comments.

Trump announced his decision by tweet after the Danish prime minister dismissed the notion of selling the semi-autonomous territory to the U.S. as “an absurd discussion.”

“Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time,” Trump said.

There was no immediate reaction from the Danish government. Former government ministers were quick to speak out, however.

Martin Lidegaard, a former foreign minister, told broadcaster TV2 that it was “a diplomatic farce” and said Trump’s behavior was “grotesque” and he was “throwing a hissy fit.”

Trump’s cancellation was “deeply insulting to the people of Greenland and Denmark,” former Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt wrote on Twitter.

Claus Oxfeldt, chairman of Denmark’s main police union, told Danish media that authorities had been busy planning the third visit by a sitting U.S. president to the Scandinavian NATO member. “As far as I know, it has created great frustrations to have spent so much time preparing for a visit that is canceled,” Oxfeldt was quoted as saying.

Ordinary Danes shook their head at the news with many calling Trump an “immature” person “living on another planet.”

“He thinks he can just buy Greenland, he acts like an elephant in a china shop,” said Pernille Iversen, a 41-year-old shopkeeper in Copenhagen.

“This is an insult to (Queen) Margrethe, to Denmark,” said Steen Gade, a 55-year-old road worker.

Denmark’s U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands was apparently not informed of Trump’s decision.

Shortly before he canceled the trip on Twitter, she herself sent a tweet saying “Denmark is ready for POTUS,” using an acronym for “President of the United States” along with Trump’s Twitter handle, with a photo from Copenhagen’s City Hall square where a Dane had paid for two pro-Trump ads on giant electronic screens.

Trump had said Sunday that he was interested in buying Greenland for strategic purposes, but said a purchase was not a priority at this time. Both Frederiksen and Greenland Premier Kim Kielsen responded that Greenland is not for sale.

“The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct,” Trump said. “I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!”

White House spokesman Judd Deere later confirmed that the visit to Denmark has been canceled. Trump’s visit to Poland is expected to be maintained.

Greenland sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. A 1.7-million-square-kilometer (660,000-square-mile) ice sheet covers 80 percent of the island.

Retreating ice could uncover potential oil and mineral resources in Greenland which, if successfully tapped, could dramatically change the island’s fortunes. However, no oil has yet been found in Greenlandic waters and the thickness of the ice means exploration is only possible in coastal regions.

Even there, conditions are far from ideal, due to the long winter with frozen ports, 24-hour darkness and temperatures regularly dropping below minus 30 Celsius (minus 20 Fahrenheit) in the northern parts.

It wouldn’t be the first time an American leader has tried to buy the world’s largest island. In 1946, the U.S. proposed to pay Denmark $100 million to buy Greenland after flirting with the idea of swapping land in Alaska for strategic parts of the Arctic island.

Under a 1951 deal, Denmark allowed the U.S. to build bases and radar stations on Greenland.

The U.S. Air Force currently maintains one base in northern Greenland, Thule Air Force Base, 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) south of the North Pole. Former military airfields in Narsarsuaq, Kulusuk and Kangerlussuaq have become civilian airports.

The Thule base, constructed in 1952, was originally designed as a refueling base for long-range bombing missions. It has been a ballistic missile early warning and space surveillance site since 1961.

Darlene Superville in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report. </s> DENMARK was left stunned yesterday by Donald Trump’s decision to postpone a state visit after the government told the US president its autonomous terri­tory Greenland was not for sale.

The Danish Royal House expressed “surprise” at Trump’s cancellation while commentators accused Trump of acting like a “colonial overlord.”

“Based on Prime Minister Mette Fred­eriksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meet­ing scheduled in two weeks for another time,” Trump tweeted on Tuesday.

“The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct.”

His comments came two days after Frederiksen had rejected the president’s proposal to possibly buy Greenland as “absurd.” The decision confirms just how interested he was in purchasing Greenland, an idea initially dismissed as a joke by some, but which the White House later insisted had a serious pur­pose because of its strategic location.

Denmark’s prime minister said yes­terday she was “annoyed and surprised” that US President Donald Trump post­poned a visit after her government said its territory Greenland was not for sale, but insisted their ties remained strong.

“I am both annoyed and surprised that the US president has cancelled a state visit,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters, adding: “Denmark and the US are not in crisis, the US is one of our closest allies.”

The territory has been essential to US defence since World War II.

The postponement has sparked strong reactions in Denmark.

“Reality transcends imagination... this man is unpredictable,” said Morten Ostergaard of the Social Liberal Party, which is part of the ruling coalition.

“For no reason, Trump assumes that (an autonomous) part of our country is for sale. Then insultingly cancels visit that everybody was preparing for,” tweeted Rasmus Jarlov, a member of the opposition Conservative Party.

“Are parts of the US for sale? Alaska? Please show more respect.”

Marc Jacobsen, a Greenland specialist at the University of Copenhagen, said Trump was acting like “an ignorant co­lonial overlord.”

“Trump’s idea of purchasing Green­land is absurd, and it is absurd that he is now cancelling his state visit to Den­mark when he knows that there is no chance Greenland will become the 51st state of America,” he said.

Former US ambassador to Denmark Rufus Gifford wrote on Twitter: “He asks for an invitation from a great friend and ally. The Queen obliges invites him for a state visit. He declares the visit contin­gent on the great friend selling part of its territory to him This. Is. Not. Normal.”

“Mette Frederiksen has been given the opportunity to emphasize that Green­land’s big affairs are in fact decided in Copenhagen... strengthening Denmark’s position in this great strategic game at stake over the Arctic,” it said.

Trump, a former real estate magnate, has been curious about the area’s natu­ral resources and geopolitical relevance, The Wall Street Journal said. </s> President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel his visit to Denmark after its prime minster publicly trashed the notion of the U.S. buying Greenland has left the Danish royal family taken aback.

Trump had been scheduled to visit Denmark on Sept. 2 and 3 as part of a European trip that includes a visit to Poland, but announced on Twitter he was canceling the Danish leg of the trip.

Trump’s tweets announcing his change in plans came after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Monday called any conversation about buying Greenland “an absurd discussion,” CNN reported. Trump then swung into action.

“Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time,” Trump tweeted.

“The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct,” Trump added. “I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!”

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Lene Balleby, a spokesman for Denmark’s royal family, said Wednesday that Trump’s decision was “a surprise,” The Associated Press reported.

Others in Denmark were quick to condemn Trump.

Martin Lidegaard, a former foreign minister, called it “a diplomatic farce,” referred to Trump’s actions as “grotesque” and claimed the president was “throwing a hissy fit.”

Trump’s change in plans was “deeply insulting to the people of Greenland and Denmark,” former Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt tweeted.

Claus Oxfeldt, chairman of Denmark’s main police union, said the cancellation stung.

“As far as I know, it has created great frustrations to have spent so much time preparing for a visit that is canceled,” Oxfeldt said.

Not everyone was bashing Trump, however.

Kristian Søby Kristensen, a senior researcher at the University of Copenhagen’s department of political science, said Frederiksen’s next step should be taken with care because the U.S. is a vital NATO ally.

The U.S. “is — without comparison — Denmark’s most important ally when it comes to security policy, so it would be a very serious situation” if she offended the U.S. with her comment, Kristensen said, according to Politico.

After media accounts last week indicated the U.S. was informally looking at the acquisition of Greenland, Trump was asked about it Sunday, according to a White House medial pool report, and indicated it was a concept being explored.

“Well, Greenland, I don’t know — it got released somehow. It’s just something we talked about. Denmark essentially owns it,” he said.

“We’re very good allies with Denmark. We protect Denmark like we protect large portions of the world. So the concept came up and I said, ‘Certainly, I’d be. Strategically, it’s interesting, and we’d be interested. But we’ll talk to them a little bit. It’s not number one on the burner, I can tell you that.”

When asked if the U.S. might swap land to gain all or part of Greenland, Trump referred to the concept as “essentially, it’s a large real estate deal. A lot of things can be done.”

“It’s hurting Denmark very badly because they’re losing almost $700 million a year carrying it. So they carry it at a great loss. And, strategically, for the United States, it would be nice. And we’re a big ally of Denmark, and we help Denmark and we protect Denmark, and we will,” Trump said Sunday.

“In fact, I’m supposed to stop. I’m thinking about going there. I’m not necessarily definitely going there, but I may be going. We’re going to Poland and then we may be going to Denmark — not for this reason at all. But we’re looking at it. It’s not number one on the burner.”

Greenland is governed as a largely autonomous part of Denmark. The island’s strategic location led the U.S. to develop Thule Air Force Base in the 1950s as a refueling location for long-range bombers.

The northern Greenland site is now a ballistic missile base, according to the AP. Other air bases developed by the U.S. during the Cold War have been converted into civilian airfields. The concept of the U.S. buying Greenland was floated in 1947, but never moved forward.

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards. </s> The Danish government expressed shock and disbelief on Wednesday over U.S. President Donald Trump's cancellation of a state visit to Denmark after its prime minister rebuffed his interest in purchasing Greenland.

Trump's proposal at first elicited incredulity and humour from politicians in Denmark, a NATO ally of the United States, with former premier Lars Lokke Rasmussen saying: "It must be an April Fool's Day joke."

But the mood turned to shock when Trump called off the Sept. 2-3 visit after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called his idea of the United States buying Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, "absurd."

"Total chaos with @realDonaldTrump and cancellation of state visit to Denmark. It has gone from a big opportunity for strengthened dialogue between allies to a diplomatic crisis," former foreign minister Kristian Jensen, a member of the opposition Liberal Party, said on Twitter.

"Everyone should know Greenland is not for sale," Jensen said of the world's largest island, which has considerable mineral wealth and a U.S. military presence at the Thule Air Base under a U.S.-Danish treaty dating to 1951.

Frederiksen, who had been due to hold talks with Trump in Copenhagen, was unavailable for a comment as she was travelling after a visit to Greenland and Iceland earlier this week.

She said at the time that Greenland was "not for sale" and she hoped Trump's proposal was "not meant seriously."

Martin Lidegaard, a former foreign minister, told broadcaster TV2 it was "a diplomatic farce," and Trump's behaviour was "grotesque" and he was "throwing a hissy fit."

"It is very, very shocking, when it is about a very close ally and a good friend," Soren Espersen, foreign affairs spokesperson for the hard right Danish People's Party, told Danish news agency Ritzau.

He described Trump's cancellation as an offence to Queen Margrethe, Denmark's head of state, and said he did not expect another visit by the U.S. president would happen.

Trump and his wife Melania Trump were formally invited to Denmark by Queen Margrethe in July.

"It shows why we now more than ever should consider [fellow] European Union countries as our closest allies. The man is unpredictable," said Morten Ostergaard, leader of the Danish Social Liberal Party. "Reality surpasses imagination."

Trump, whose "America First" policies have resulted in strained relations with the EU over trade and other issues, said Sunday that a U.S. purchase of Greenland would be "a large real estate deal," though not an immediate priority.

"Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time," Trump tweeted on Tuesday.

Greenland, which is gaining attention from world powers including China, Russia and the U.S. due to its strategic location and mineral resources, is self-governing but depends on Denmark for economic support.

Aaja Chemnitz Larsen, a lawmaker from Greenland's Inuit Ataqatigiit opposition party, said she was not surprised at the cancellation, but it underlined the territory's importance.

"The U.S. is an interesting ally for Greenland, but we also wish for Greenland to remain in the union we have today," she told Reuters.

It's not the first time an American leader has expressed interest in buying the world's largest island.

In 1946, the U.S. proposed to pay Denmark $100 million to buy Greenland after flirting with the idea of swapping land in Alaska for strategic parts of the Arctic island. </s> COPENHAGEN — Denmark’s prime minister said on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s cancellation of a state visit after Denmark rebuffed his interest in purchasing Greenland would not affect close relations between the two allies.

“The cancellation of the visit doesn’t change the good relationship between Denmark and the United States,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at a press briefing.

She also reaffirmed that Greenland is not for sale. (Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Toby Chopra) </s> COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A spokeswoman for Denmark's royal palace says U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to postpone a visit to Denmark next month was "a surprise."

Lene Balleby told The Associated Press Wednesday that the household, which formally had invited Trump to visit Denmark Sep. 2 and 3 as part of a European trip, had no further comments.

Trump announced his decision by tweet after the Danish prime minister dismissed the notion of selling Greenland to the U.S. as "an absurd discussion."

"Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time," Trump said.

There was no immediate reaction from the Danish government.
U.S. President Donald Trump cancels his September state visit to Denmark because Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says that she has no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland.