The Arctic island’s leader seeks to portray unity with Copenhagen ahead of White House meetings on Wednesday.

It is the strongest statement by a leader of the Danish territory since US President Donald Trump renewed plans to annex it.

Frederik Nielsen said on Tuesday (January 13) his nation would rather remain part of Denmark than become a territory of the United States, amid President Donald Trump's push to take control of the Arctic island.

The U.S. administration's willingness to entertain using military force to take Greenland has deeply rattled fellow NATO members.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on Tuesday said his people “choose Denmark” and “choose NATO” instead of the United States, amid President Trump’s calls for the island territory to be annexed into the union.

A bipartisan group of ‌U.S. ​lawmakers will visit Denmark this ‌week as President Donald Trump threatens a takeover of Greenland, an autonomous part ​of the kingdom of Denmark that houses a U.S. airbase.

The leaders of Denmark and the country's territory of Greenland on Tuesday offered a united front against President Donald Trump's calls for the United States to take over the strategic Arctic island on the eve of critical meetings in Washington on the matter.

President Trump's remarks about taking Greenland by military force have prompted bipartisan criticism from lawmakers who have said they do not support acquiring the Danish territory in such a way.