The people of Denmark see the US as more of a threat than North Korea amid an ongoing row between the country and Donald Trump about Greenland, a poll has found.
The YouGov survey, which polled just over 1,000 people, revealed 46 per cent thought the US to be either a “very big threat” or a “fairly big threat” to Denmark.
This was higher than the number who said they considered North Korea or Iran a threat – of which 44 per cent and 40 per cent did respectively, according to The Guardian.
It comes after Trump, 78, reportedly blasted Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen in a “dangerous” phone call on 15 January pressuring her to cede Greenland to the US.
The Arctic island, which has a population of 57,000, was formerly ruled as a colony by Denmark, which now oversees the semi-autonomous territory’s security and foreign policy.
Trump floated the prospect of buying the vast Arctic territory during his first term in 2019, and has said US control of Greenland is an “absolute necessity” for international security.
The US president was “very firm” during his phone call to Frederiksen which took place five days before his inauguration, a senior European official told The Financial Times.
“It was a cold shower. Before, it was hard to take it seriously. But I do think it is serious, and potentially very dangerous,” they said.
A few days after he was sworn in as 47th US president, he claimed Greenland “wanted to be with us” and said he believed it would eventually become part of the US.
“I think the people want to be with us,” Trump said when asked about the island in the press room on board the presidential plane.
“I don’t really know what claim Denmark has to it, but it would be a very unfriendly act if they didn’t allow that to happen because it’s for the protection of the free world,” he added.
As well as oil and gas, Greenland’s supply of in-demand raw materials for green technology is attracting interest from around the world, including from China.
Frederiksen toured Berlin, Paris and Brussels this week in a bid to shore up support amid Trump’s ongoing threats, urging Europe to “stand together”.
“I want to ensure that all of Europe stands together. Not only in connection with the kingdom of Denmark but also more broadly,” she said.
“Everyone in Europe can see that it will be a different collaboration with the USA now,” she added.