Danish PM ‘disappointed and surprised' after Trump cancels visit over Greenland spat
WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded to President Donald Trump's cancellation of a visit to Denmark over their refusal to sell Greenland, saying she was "disappointed and surprised" but hoped to further cooperate with the U.S. government on Arctic issues.
She noted that a sale of Greenland "has clearly been rejected."
The Danish royal palace also responded. Lene Balleby, a spokesperson for the Danish royal palace, told the Associated Press that Trump's cancellation was "a surprise" to them, though she did not give any other comments.
Trump had been invited to visit Denmark on Sept. 2 and 3 during a trip to Europe but abruptly announced his cancellation of the visit in a Tuesday evening tweet.
“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 wrote.
Denmark's government has made it clear they have no interest in selling Greenland, which functions as a semi-autonomous Danish territory, to the U.S.
U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands weighed in on the controversy in a brief statement on Twitter, saying she "values & respects [Denmark] and looks forward to a visit in the future to discuss the many important issues in our strong bilateral relationship!"
Danish PM Frederiksen had called the overtures "absurd," and the government of Greenland has said the territory is open for business, but "not for sale."
More: How much would the US have to pay for Greenland? One estimate says half a trillion dollars
Other Danish political figures have criticized Trump over the diplomatic row.
Former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt wrote on Twitter that Trump's cancellation of the trip was "deeply insulting to the people of Greenland and Denmark."
So the POTUS has cancelled his visit to Denmark because there was no interest in discussing selling Greenland @BBCRadio4 Is this some sort of joke? Deeply insulting to the people of Greenland and Denmark.
— Helle Thorning S (@HelleThorning_S) August 21, 2019
According to the Associated Press, former Danish Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard told broadcaster TV2 that Trump's cancellation was "a diplomatic farce."
Lidegaard said Trump's behavior was "grotesque" and that he was "throwing a hissy fit."
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Greenland: Mette Frederiksen 'disappointed' after Trump cancels trip
