US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he is cancelling an official visit to Denmark after the Nordic country rebuffed his idea of buying Greenland.

The decision comes two days after he confirmed reports that he was interested in buying Greenland — a semi-autonomous Danish territory and the world's largest island. But the US leader also said buying it was not a top priority.

Read more: Donald Trump's ice-cold Greenland calculus

This is Greenland: the world's largest island Record holder Greenland holds a number of world records. It is the world's largest island, the least densely populated territory on Earth, and home to the only permanent ice sheet outside Antarctica. Most of its 56,000 residents are Inuit, descendants of those who migrated there from what is now Canada in the 13th century.

This is Greenland: the world's largest island Home rule Greenland was granted home rule by Denmark in 1979. In 2008, Greenlanders voted in favor of an act that granted their government even more power. Before being a Danish territory, Greenland has also been under the Norwegian crown, and was even briefly claimed by Portuguese explorers in 1499.

This is Greenland: the world's largest island The North Pole Seen here in the capital, Nuuk, where about one third of Greenlanders live, is "Santa's mailbox." Thousands of letters addressed to St.Nicolas were delivered here every around Christmas each year. Some volunteers even sent handwritten responses to as many children as they could, until the mailbox was forced to close in 2018.

This is Greenland: the world's largest island Melting ice Greenlanders were among the first to feel the affects of climate change, both from rising sea levels and melting arctic ice. Recently, scientists recorded a massive ice melt on the island that hadn't been predicted to occur until 2070. If the all of Greenland's ice disappears, sea levels will rise 23 feet, destroying massive amounts of coastal areas worldwide.

This is Greenland: the world's largest island The mighty muskox A sign in Greenland warns travels to be aware of passing muskoxen, famous for the intense odor sometimes by males. They are native only to Greenland, northern Canada, and Alaska. After centuries of declining populations due to overhunting, muskoxen have recently been making a comeback due to new hunting restrictions.

This is Greenland: the world's largest island Tens of thousands of seals killed annually Much of Greenland's economy is dependent on fishing. One controversial form of fishing that is still allowed is seal hunting, often done by shooting seals that are sitting on ice sheets. Although it is widely accepted that the killing of seals could lead to extinction and other disasters for the ecosystem, some rural Greelanders entirely depend on hunting seals for their livelihood.

This is Greenland: the world's largest island Alternative transportation In some parts of Greenland, there are no roads, and locals must use dog sleds to get from village to village or to the sea. Snowmobiles must be important and are too expensive for many villagers. Author: Elizabeth Schumacher



Trump tweeted on Tuesday, "Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time."

"The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct. I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!"

Trump on Sunday also tweeted out a doctored photo of Greenland with a Trump tower imposed, joking that he would not build one of his trademark buildings in Greenland.

'Disappointed and surprised'

Prime Minister Frederiksen said she was "disappointed and surprised" by Trump's cancellation. She said she had been looking forward to the visit, adding, "the US is one of our closest allies."

Frederiksen told reporters that nevertheless, "the invitation for a stronger strategic cooperation with the Americans in the Arctic is still open."

Former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, however, was outraged by Trump's decision. "Is this some sort of joke? Deeply insulting to the people of Greenland and Denmark," Thorning-Schmidt said.

Former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said it was a "setback" for bilateral ties. "President Trump's postponement of his visit to Denmark is a setback for our countries' diplomatic relations, but it may be for the best," Rasmussen tweeted.

Rasmussen served as NATO chief from 2009 to 2014, and was prime minister of Denmark between 2001 and 2009.

US Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands was also apparently not informed of Trump's decision before it was made public. Shortly before he cancelled the trip via Twitter, she tweeted, "Denmark is ready for POTUS," using an acronym for "President of the United States" along with Trump's Twitter handle.

'Absurd discussion'

During a visit to Greenland on Sunday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the idea of selling the Arctic island was an "absurd discussion." She told reporters: "Greenland is not for sale. Greenland is not Danish. Greenland is Greenlandic. I persistently hope that this is not something that is seriously meant."

Trump was scheduled to visit Copenhagen on Sept. 2-3 for meetings with Frederiksen and Greenland's premier, Kim Kielsen.

The US leader's visit to Poland is still expected to go ahead at the end of August.

sri, stb/sms (Reuters, AP)

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