NUUK, Denmark: Greenland’s government unveiled a new brochure on Wednesday offering advice to the population in the event of a “crisis” in the territory, which US President Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to seize from ally Denmark.
Guidance includes stockpiling food and water, hunting weapons and ammunition.
The document is “an insurance policy”, said Self-Sufficiency Minister Peter Borg at a press conference in Nuuk, the Greenlandic capital.
“We don’t expect to have to use it,” Borg said.
Trump on Thursday demanded “immediate” talks on his bid to control Greenland but said he would not use military force to take the Arctic island.
Work on the brochure, titled “Prepared for Crises — Be Self Sufficient for Five Days”, began last year “against a backdrop of power outages of varying duration”, according to the Greenland government.
The guidance recommends storing five days’ worth of food, three litres of water per person per day, toilet paper, a battery powered radio, plus weapons, ammunition and fishing equipment.
Greenland’s 57,000-strong population — nearly 90 percent indigenous Inuit people — has long traditions of hunting and fishing as the primary means of subsistence.
On Tuesday, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen said a military operation against Greenland was “unlikely”, but that the Danish autonomous territory must nevertheless be ready.
Denmark’s foreign minister said Wednesday it was a “positive” sign that Trump had said he wanted to avoid military force in Greenland.
Since returning to power last year, Trump has repeatedly said he wants to gain control of Greenland to counter Russian and Chinese advances in the Arctic and ensure global stability.
According to a January 2025 poll, 85 percent of Greenlanders oppose joining the United States, with only six percent in favour.
Trump rules out ‘force’
Trump for the first time ruled out using force to take Greenland as he addressed world leaders in Davos Wednesday, but demanded “immediate negotiations” to acquire the island from Denmark.
Trump’s quest to take control of Greenland from a NATO ally has deeply shaken the global order and the markets, and it dominated his first address to the World Economic Forum in six years.
In a speech lasting more than an hour in the Swiss ski resort, Trump slammed “ungrateful” Denmark for refusing to give up Greenland, and said the United States alone could guarantee the security of the “giant piece of ice”.
But Trump appeared to take the threat of military action off the table, in a dramatic turnaround from his previous threats that the US could use force to take control of the mineral-rich Arctic island.
“We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable — but I won’t do that,” Trump said.
“I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force. All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland.”
Wall Street stocks opened higher Wednesday after Trump’s comments.
Denmark said it was a “positive” sign that Trump had said he wanted to avoid military force — but stressed that the US president had not backed away from his push to acquire Greenland.
“What is quite clear after this speech is that the president’s ambition remains intact,” Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said.
