\n<\/p>\n
Greenland is ready to talk.<\/p>\n
Responding on Monday to the diplomatic earthquake set off last week by President-elect Donald J. Trump, who mused about taking over<\/a> the gigantic island in the Arctic Ocean, Greenland\u2019s prime minister said the territory would like to work more closely with the United States on defense and natural resources.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reality is we are going to work with the U.S. \u2014 yesterday, today and tomorrow,\u201d Prime Minister M\u00fate Egede said at a news conference in Nuuk, Greenland\u2019s tiny, icebound capital.<\/p>\n But he was firm: Greenlanders did not want to become Americans.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to be very smart on how we act,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cThe power struggles between the superpowers are rising and are now knocking on our door.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Mr. Trump refused to rule out using economic or military force<\/a> to wrest back the Panama Canal and to take Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark that he suggested buying during his first term in office. Then, as now, Greenland and Denmark said the island was not for sale. Panama\u2019s leaders, too, rejected the threat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Mr. Egede said on Monday that \u201call of us were shocked\u201d by Mr. Trump\u2019s words, which were accentuated by a surprising and somewhat mysterious visit by the president-elect\u2019s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.<\/a>, to the island on the same day.<\/p>\n The younger Mr. Trump did a lightning-fast sightseeing tour, saying he was on private business, and since then, headlines around the world have blared Greenland.<\/p>\n Most of Greenland\u2019s territory is covered in ice, only about 56,000 people live here and, until recently, the island was best known for its icebergs and polar bears. As climate change melts the Arctic ice, this region has been quietly falling into the cross hairs of the world\u2019s powers.<\/p>\n The United States, Russia, European countries, China and others have been eyeing the Arctic\u2019s shipping lanes and the extensive mineral resources that are no longer considered out of reach.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The island has been tied to Denmark for centuries, first as a colony and now as a separate territory that has achieved a large degree of autonomy in recent years. Denmark still controls the island\u2019s foreign affairs and defense policy.<\/p>\n But the surge of interest by international powers dovetails with Greenland\u2019s quest to gain independence, and that itch has only grown stronger. At the same time, many people here are reluctant to completely cut ties with Denmark because of the hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies that Denmark provides each year.<\/p>\n In Nuuk, which was a sunny zero degrees Fahrenheit on Monday afternoon, many people were eagerly waiting to hear what the prime minister was going to say.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWhatever happens, there\u2019s no turning back,\u201d said Aviaq Kleist, the owner of a cafe in the Nuuk Center, the city\u2019s biggest mall, with a couple dozen shops. She joked that maybe Mr. Egede would suddenly declare independence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Mr. Egede did not \u2014 he danced around the question, saying the country had been steadily working toward the goal but that \u201cdifferent parties have different views.\u201d (There\u2019s also a clear independence process that involves a referendum, should it come to that.)<\/p>\n The prime minister also expressed relief at comments that JD Vance, the incoming vice president, made on a Fox News show this weekend<\/a>. Though Mr. Vance didn\u2019t exactly rule out military force, saying, \u201cWe don\u2019t have to use military force\u201d because \u201cwe already have troops in Greenland,\u201d his tone was upbeat as he spoke about Greenland\u2019s \u201cincredible natural resources\u201d and \u201ca deal to be made.\u201d<\/p>\n The United States has been interested in Greenland for years. During World War II, it established bases here, and after the war, it tried to buy Greenland from Denmark, which refused. Today, the American military runs the Pituffik Space Base<\/a>, which specializes in missile defense, at the northern end of the island.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In Nuuk on Monday, people seemed to be on the same page as the prime minister, expressing a mix of hope and caution. Several said they did not want to be swallowed by the United States. But they did want a stronger partnership with America.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWhat we really need is more cooperation and trade,\u201d said Nielseeraq Berthelsen, a fisherman. He was working at an ice-encrusted seafood market, selling hunks of whale skin and bright red seal meat.<\/p>\n He said that he was walking through another mall last week when someone approached him out of the blue and invited him to a special dinner.<\/p>\n Next thing he knew, he said, he was shaking the younger Mr. Trump\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had a lot of enthusiasm,\u201d said Mr. Berthelsen, who was standing in air so cold that his eyes watered as he talked. \u201cHe had good energy.\u201d<\/p>\n Ivik Kristiansen contributed reporting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n