Greenland wants a stronger EU presence over the territory’s critical raw materials needed to build new clean energy technologies such as solar panels and batteries, Aaja Chemnitz, a member of the Danish parliament for Greenland’s left-wing Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) separatist party, told Euronews. 

“We (IA) would like to see the EU much more engaged when it comes to rare earths. We know that 73% of everything the EU needs when it comes to rare earths can be found in Greenland, and right now we have more or less a Chinese monopoly when it comes to rare earths,” she pointed out, seeing an opportunity for the EU to invest in this area.    

In recent years, the EU has pushed for greater cooperation with the island on energy and rare earths, and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited the island last March to open an EU office in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital.    

However, Chemnitz believes that the EU and Denmark have not paid enough attention to Greenlanders but now have a window of opportunity to strengthen relations with the island in a “more realistic way”, including on defence and security.  

Greenland’s largest party, IA, is currently “concerned” about the security situation in the Arctic after US President-elect Donald Trump’s staked claimto the world’s largest island and given Russia’s national interest in the region, the MP stressed.   

“I think finding ways to cooperate with a new ally is not (by) threatening them,” Chemnitz said, referring to Trump’s refusal to rule out military intervention to take over Greenland.   

Chemnitz, who chairs the Greenland committee in the Danish parliament, argued that given the strategic interests of power players such as the US, the EU, Russia or China, it will be crucial for her territory to find out which countries and regions Greenland can cooperate with in the future.    

“I see that of course Denmark, the EU, but also the US is someone we can cooperate with, but I think it should be very specific (cooperation), especially with the US,” the Greenlandic MP stressed, citing issues such as critical raw materials, tourism, education and defence.   

The sea routes around Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, offer the shortest route from North America to Europe, and the US President-elect wants the strategic edge for his military and its ballistic missile early warning system.    

The US has demonstrated an eagerness to expand its military presence in Greenland by placing radars in the waters between Greenland, Iceland, and the UK – but security and foreign affairs are still managed from Copenhagen.    

Greenland’s independence from Denmark a ‘long-term goal’

Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede said earlier this week that his government was ready to work more closely with the US on defence and mining, but on its own terms.    

“We do not want to be Danes, we do not want to be Americans – of course we want to be Greenlanders,” Egede told a press conference in Copenhagen on Friday.    

Egede, who has led the Inuit Ataqatigiit party since 2018, has made clear that it will be for the almost 57,000 Greenlanders to decide on their own future and agreements, and that remaining part of the Kingdom of Denmark is not an option.    

Since 2009, Greenland has had the right to declare independence through a referendum, and Egede has previously hinted that a possible referendum could take place during Greenland’s new political mandate – but for Chemnitz, his party colleague, this is more of a “long-term goal”.    

“I don’t see it happening because I don’t see the plan for it, and I don’t think there is a shortcut to independence, even though it is the biggest wish and dream for many of us in Greenland,” she said.  

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For now, the Greenlander sees the need to diversify and boost Greenland’s cooperation with other global players, and to focus on next spring’s parliamentary elections.    

“The government of Denmark has done a good job in recognising that every decision about Greenland’s future is up to the people of Greenland,” Chemnitz said, adding that “it is important to say ‘hands off’ when it comes to Denmark, but also the EU, but also the US, Russia, China and so on when it comes to the elections”.    

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Leaders in the U.S. and around the world commended the recent Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal on Wednesday.

Biden announced the terms of the cease-fire during a news conference Wednesday at the White House. It will consist of two phases and will take place over the next several weeks. 

The first phase, which is set to begin Sunday, “includes a full and complete cease-fire, withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the populated areas of Gaza, and the release of a number of hostages held by Hamas, including women and elderly and the wounded,” Biden said.

The second phase is contingent on Israel negotiating “the necessary arrangements,” to mark a complete end to the war.

BIDEN BALKS WHEN ASKED IF TRUMP DESERVES CREDIT FOR ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASE-FIRE DEAL: ‘IS THAT A JOKE?’

The response to the deal was overwhelmingly positive. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said that she was “very encouraged” to see the cease-fire come to fruition.

“This is something I’ve called for many, many months over the last year since the horrific, barbaric attack on innocent civilians in Israel that occurred on October 7 of last year,” Hochul said. “My main priority has been bringing home the hostages.”

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., wrote on X that he felt “an indescribable sense of relief,” about the return of the hostages.

“The return of the hostages will mark the beginning of closure for Israelis and Jews, as well as countless others, who continue to be deeply affected by the indelible terror and trauma of October 7th,” Torres wrote. “The hostages have been brought home by the power of the world’s most powerful friendship – the US-Israel relationship.”

The deal also attracted international attention. In a statement, British Prime Minister Kier Starmer called the cease-fire “long-overdue news.”

FOX NEWS GETS AN INSIDE LOOK AT IDF’S WAR AGAINST HAMAS

Hundreds of people, demanding the immediate return of prisoners held by Hamas, gather with banners and photos of prisoners to protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government outside the Defense Ministry building in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday. (Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“[The Israeli and Palestinian people] have borne the brunt of this conflict – triggered by the brutal terrorists of Hamas, who committed the deadliest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust on October 7th, 2023,” Starmer said. “The hostages, who were brutally ripped from their homes on that day and held captive in unimaginable conditions ever since, can now finally return to their families.

“But we should also use this moment to pay tribute to those who won’t make it home – including the British people who were murdered by Hamas. We will continue to mourn and remember them. “

In an X post translated from French to English, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the cease-fire must be respected.

“After 15 months of unjustifiable ordeal, immense relief for the Gazans, hope for the hostages and their families,” Macron said. He also referenced Ohad Yahalomi and Ofer Calderon, two French-Israeli hostages.

Though many are celebrating, some have expressed caution about the possibility of the deal falling through. 

President Biden delivers remarks on the recently announced cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas while joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the Cross Hall of the White House, Wednesday.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said that the “big hurdle” — which included finalizing the deal — had been “overcome.”

Hopefully, come this weekend, we’ll start to see some families reunited,” Kirby said, adding that he was “confident” that the deal will be implemented, despite hard work ahead.

Fox News Digital’s Joshua Comins contributed to this report.