COPENHAGEN/NUUK — Denmark condemned what it called US President Donald Trump's escalated rhetoric on Thursday and praised Greenland's inhabitants for their resilience in the face of US pressure for control over the Arctic island.

Reiterating his desire to take over Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark, Trump told journalists on Wednesday that the US needs the strategically located island for national and international security.

"So, I think we'll go as far as we have to go. We need Greenland and the world needs us to have Greenland, including Denmark," he said.

Denmark's Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen called Trump's statements an escalation.

"I need to clearly speak out against what I see as an escalation from the American side," he said. "The tightened rhetoric is in every way far-fetched."

On Wednesday, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen expressed concern over US activities in Greenland, despite the recent scaling back of US Vice-President JD Vance's planned visit.

In a Facebook post, Frederiksen acknowledged that Denmark is facing a "difficult situation" and hinted that the diplomatic standoff might continue. "There's a visit, then there's not, and then there's a new one. Or something entirely different the next day," she wrote.

Frederiksen stressed that while US interest in Greenland is unlikely to diminish, the US is well aware that "Greenland is not for sale" and that Greenlanders do not wish to become US citizens. She praised Greenlanders for standing their ground.

Rasmussen echoed the prime minister's concerns, warning that the core issues remain unresolved.

"We should be glad that the US plan to carry out a high-profile visit in Greenland — at a time when Greenland lacks a government — has failed," he said in a televised interview.

"But that does not change the fact that we still face a challenge," he added, calling for unity in responding to US pressure.

Rasmussen criticized the revised US itinerary — limited to a stop at the US Pituffik Space Base in northern Greenland — as a strategic rebranding.

The White House announced on Tuesday that JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance will visit the Pituffik Space Base on Friday to meet US troops and review the security situation. Earlier plans for Usha Vance to attend cultural events in Nuuk and Sisimiut, including a dog sled race, have been canceled.

Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953, when it became an integral part of Denmark. In 1979, Greenland achieved home rule, gaining greater self-governance and Denmark retained control over its foreign and defense policy.

Agencies - Xinhua