Greenland hits back at Trump's Arctic insult

COPENHAGEN:

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called on NATO allies to stand together to defend international law as he pushed back against US President Donald Trump's latest comments about the Arctic island.

Trump vented his frustration with NATO's unwillingness to get involved in the war on Iran that he launched with Israel, saying in a social media post that the military alliance was not around when needed and would not be there "if we need them again. REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE".

Nielsen rejected the characterisation. "We are not some piece of ice. We are a proud population of 57,000 people, working every single day as good global citizens in full respect for all our allies," he told Reuters.

Nielsen underlined the importance of maintaining the post-war geopolitical order, including the NATO defence alliance and globally respected international law.