The weather in Nuuk is »completely insane«. It’s usually the coldest time of the year, but it has been thawing since Christmas.
»We’ve lost all our snow. It’s almost too slippery to walk the dog«, Liv Aurora Jensen says over the phone from the Greenlandic capital.
And the weather isn’t the only thing that’s strange.
»I must admit, I didn’t sleep well last night. You never know what might happen«, says the 62-year-old designer and artisan.
Naturally, she’s talking about the threats from the United States.
After American special forces captured Venezuela’s president over the weekend, and the U.S. president subsequently linked the attack to Greenland, Liv Aurora Jensen has been uneasy.
»Where do we stand? What can we do? Can we just be taken?«
The questions are piling up – and there aren’t many answers.
Officials laugh
Liv Aurora Jensen watched the attack in Venezuela on YouTube in her kitchen. Images of helicopters flying over Caracas and bombs falling on the capital.
On Monday, she saw the clip from Air Force One where Trump said he would talk about Greenland in two months, which he later corrected to 20 days.
»The officials around him laughed. How can they laugh when talking about another country? As if it were a joke«, she says with frustration.
Shortly thereafter, Trump’s national security advisor and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller’s wife shared on X a map of Greenland covered with the American flag and the ominous text »Soon«.
»When the attack in Venezuela was so meticulously planned, what’s happening behind the scenes when it comes to Greenland?«, Liv Aurora Jensen wonders.
Later, she spoke on the phone with her son, who works on a trawler. He asked the question everyone is asking, she says: »What if they come?«
»You almost don’t dare think about it. It’s a nightmare scenario that might never happen, but we think: ‘Where do we stand then, we Greenlanders?’«, she says.
She explains that she used to see the U.S. as »the good guys« because they helped Greenland during World War II. And she can also understand that the U.S. needs Greenland militarily in relation to Russia or China. That’s why she’s puzzled that the U.S. has closed bases in the country.
No troops in the streets
Liv Aurora Jensen doesn’t imagine American troops suddenly walking around the pedestrian street in Nuuk. Instead, she wonders if there are other ways the U.S. could take over Greenland.
»I’ve started thinking about all the places where we are vulnerable. They could hit our supplies or shut down our internet. Is that what Trump means? We won’t get a wink of sleep for the next two months«, she sighs.
Uncertainty also breeds rumors – like the one that Americans have rented a large hotel in Nuuk where they are making secret plans.
And the situation keeps changing. While we’re talking, Trump’s special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, says that Trump has no plans to annex Greenland. Later, a statement from the White House says that the use of military »is always an option«. And on Wednesday morning, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. wants to buy Greenland.
Like many others in the country, Liv Aurora Jensen has shared a map of Greenland covered with the Greenlandic flag on Facebook.
»I wish there were protests in the streets, but there aren’t. I think people feel powerless, or it just takes time to mobilize. Plus, it’s really icy.« She chuckles at that last part.
She has also shared a post from the head of the government, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, calling for unity. He is from the conservative party Demokraatit, while she herself is a member of the left-wing IA, but she believes they must stand together across parties.
One thing does give her hope: Europe’s support.
»The big nations are behind us. That’s a comfort.«
She’s off to walk the dog and try to keep her feet on the ground—even though it’s damn icy.
Information for the U.S.
Johnnie Jensen, director of Nuuk Auto, also felt reassured when he saw the statement seven European countries issued in support of Greenland. Because there’s so much misinformation, he thinks.
He refers, for example, to security advisor Stephen Miller saying that 30,000 people live in Greenland, when in fact 56,000 live there, and Trump saying that the Danish military buildup consists of an extra dog sled.
»An update with information about Greenland should be issued. So some of those messages reach the American public«, Johnnie Jensen believes.
He finds it hard to believe that there will be a military operation in Greenland, but he doesn’t entirely rule it out. Because he finds Trump unpredictable.
»In any case, it’s better to be proactive than reactive«, he says, suggesting that Greenland and Denmark’s allies should have a small force in Greenland.
It could consist of Danish, French, and Canadian troops.
He acknowledges that something has been done to secure Greenland. He highlights the new Arctic basic training, which is a military education in Greenland, and the military buildup from the Danish side.
But he calls for a more continuous focus.
»At the beginning of last year, when Trump also talked about Greenland, there was great political attention from Denmark, but then it faded a bit«, Johnnie Jensen says.
He believes it’s important to keep the focus on Greenland all the time.
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