NUUK: Residents in Greenland’s snow-covered capital, Nuuk, expressed ​support for remaining part of Denmark and called for a pause in independence discussions ahead of high-level talks in Washington on Wednesday, as US President Donald Trump intensifies his interest in the Arctic island.

Greenlandic and Danish foreign ministers will meet US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday after renewed threats of taking control over Greenland, an autonomous territory Denmark.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen reiterated Greenland’s commitment to Denmark, dismissing the prospect of becoming a US territory.

“We face a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the US and Denmark here and now, then ‌we choose Denmark,” Nielsen ‌told reporters in Copenhagen on Tuesday, standing alongside Danish Prime Minister ‌Mette ⁠Frederiksen. “We stand ​united in ‌the Kingdom of Denmark.”

Greenland’s political landscape appears to be shifting, with leaders and residents focusing on long-term independence rather than immediate autonomy.