Iceland summons US ambassador after Trump posts 'inappropriate' map

U.S. President Donald Trump, on social media, posted an image that depicted several countries and regions — including Iceland, Greenland, Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean — covered by the American flag and labeled "United States of America." According to Iceland's RUV, Icelandic officials are not taking the post lightly. And Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Gunnarsdottir wasted no time calling Billy Long, U.S. ambassador to Iceland, to voice her displeasure and concerns.

The Icelandic Foreign Ministry told RUV, "The position was clearly expressed that the post was completely inappropriate."

Reuters reports, "Trump's assertions in recent years that the U.S. must acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, sparked tensions between Washington and Copenhagen, both founding NATO members, and more broadly across Europe. Iceland last month voted against reopening EU membership talks in a referendum where Trump’s designs on Greenland had featured as a backdrop. Some supporters of starting talks had cited concern about U.S. reliability as a reason to consider closer EU ties, though analysts said domestic economic concerns ultimately drove the result."

Trump has been generating widespread outrage in Europe by repeatedly calling for Greenland to become part of the United States, which, he claimed, was necessary for the U.S. from a national security standpoint. Trump, earlier this year, wouldn't rule out the possibility of the U.S. taking Greenland militarily by force but appeared to back down from that threat.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, meanwhile, is adamant in voicing her opposition to U.S. annexation of Greenland. And she isn't alone. Even right-wing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who supports Trump on some issues, is joining other European Union (EU) countries in opposing Trump's Greenland annexation threats.

Frederiksen, following Trump's controversial social media post, voiced her outrage.

The prime minister told Danish news agency Ritzau, "The Greenlandic government and the Greenlandic people have said again and again that they do not want to be American. I hope no one is in any doubt about that, either in the United States or the rest of the world."