Greenland leader says his people don't want to be Americans amid Trump interest: "We want to be Greenlandic"

Greenland's prime minister said Friday that the mineral-rich Arctic territory's people don't want to be Americans, but that he understands U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's interest in the island given its strategic location and he's open to greater cooperation with Washington.

The comments from the Greenlandic leader, Múte B. Egede, came after Trump said earlier this week that he wouldn't rule out using force or economic pressure in order to make Greenland — a semiautonomous territory of Denmark — a part of the United States. Trump said that it was a matter of national security for the U.S. Melting sea ice has opened up new shipping routes through the Arctic, and Western powers have already voiced concern about Russia and China using it to boost their presence in the North Atlantic.

Egede acknowledged that Greenland is part of the North American continent, and "a place that the Americans see as part of their world." He said he hasn't spoken to Trump, but that he's open to discussions about what "unites us."