Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the prime minister of the self-ruling Danish territory, gave the first-ever address by a leader of Greenland to the European Parliament on October 8, 2025. Photo: Frederick Florin/AFP via Getty Images

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the prime minister of the self-ruling Danish territory, gave the first-ever address by a leader of Greenland to the European Parliament on Wednesday, which he said came toward the end of “a dramatic year for Greenland.”

“The world is changing, and it’s changing fast,” Nielsen said, without directly mentioning the American president’s saber-rattling. “Greenland needs the European Union, and the European Union needs Greenland.”

Calling the EU “a steadfast friend … during challenging times we are going through right now,” Nielsen talked up the island’s vast reserves of rare earths and critical minerals, which he said have the potential to “shift global and security balances” and are ripe for investment.

“Greenland is ready to move with the EU to hasten the pace,” he said, adding that the island was seeking investments from the European Investment Bank in projects “related to infrastructure and raw materials.”

Nielsen, who wore a blue anorak while addressing MEPs, noted one area of disagreement was the EU’s trade ban on seal products, which he said had hurt Greenland’s seal-hunting industry. His speech earned a standing ovation from the plenary.

Greenland and the EU have deepened diplomatic ties since Trump’s aggressive overtures, which began earlier this year when the U.S. president refused to rule out sending troops or using economic pressure to take over the island.

Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, told POLITICO in May that the island was interested in exploring a more robust trade partnership with the EU on energy and critical minerals — resources which Trump has said he covets.

But Nielsen was quick to clarify to reporters after his speech that Greenland would not seek to fully rejoin the bloc. The island left the European Communities, a precursor to the EU, in 1985 after a referendum. While its citizens hold Danish and therefore EU passports, Greenland remains outside the Union.

“Let me say this clear: We are not going to join another country … Right now, we have no plan to be a member of the EU,” he said.

While Trump has been largely silent on Greenland in recent months, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned Tuesday that he would one day be back, adding Copenhagen and Nuuk could not afford to “breathe a sigh of relief.”

In a press conference prior to his speech, Nielsen told reporters Greenland was open to further cooperation with the U.S., but added: “It has to be in mutual respect, with respect to international law,” and called for Washington to strike a “respectful tone.”