Denmark’s prime minister on Sunday urged President Donald Trump to stop making remarks about the United States annexing Greenland, pushing back forcefully against comments that have drawn international attention in recent days.

“I have to say this very directly to the United States,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen wrote in a statement posted on X. “It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the United States needing to take over Greenland. The U.S. has no right to annex one of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom.”

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also issued a statement rejecting the idea, emphasizing Greenland’s political autonomy and democratic status.

“Our country is not an object of superpower rhetoric,” Nielsen said. “We are a people. A country. A democracy. This has to be respected.”

The statements followed renewed discussion of Greenland after Trump and the wife of senior adviser Stephen Miller made public comments that reignited debate over the strategic Arctic territory.

In an interview published Sunday by The Atlantic, Trump defended his repeated assertions that the United States should annex Greenland, citing national security concerns.

“We do need Greenland, absolutely,” Trump said. “We need it for defense.”

Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, holds strategic importance due to its location in the Arctic and its proximity to key transatlantic routes. Danish and Greenlandic leaders have consistently rejected any suggestion of a transfer of sovereignty, reiterating that Greenland’s future can only be decided by its people.

The latest exchange underscores growing diplomatic friction sparked by Trump’s remarks, with officials in Copenhagen and Nuuk seeking to firmly close the door on any discussion of U.S. annexation.