BRUSSELS/HELSINKI – The European Commission on Wednesday reiterated its support for Denmark on the issue of Greenland, after US President Donald Trump once again said Greenland should be controlled by the US during the NATO summit.

"Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark. Decisions about the future of Greenland are for Greenlanders and Danes to decide," European Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Olof Gill said at a daily press briefing in Brussels.

The spokesperson stressed that "territorial integrity, national sovereignty and inviolability of borders are fundamental principles of international law."

"We will not stop defending them, and the EU stands in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland," he said.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said earlier Wednesday that Greenland was "not for sale," when speaking to the media during the NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye.

Frederiksen said Denmark was a sovereign country and called on all parties to respect Denmark's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on Wednesday rejected Trump's claim, saying matters concerning Greenland fall within the competence of Denmark and Greenland.

Trump said on Tuesday, ahead of a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the NATO summit in Ankara, that Greenland "should be controlled by the US, not Denmark."

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Speaking to Finnish national broadcaster Yle on Wednesday, Stubb said "matters related to Greenland are only in the hands of Denmark." He made the remarks when asked by reporters about Trump's statement.

In a separate interview with Yle, Valtonen dismissed Trump's claim and underlined Finland's unconditional support for Denmark's territorial integrity.

Valtonen said the issue should be handled through existing defense and security arrangements, rather than territorial claims. She pointed to two ongoing processes concerning Arctic security. Denmark and the United States, she said, are in contact over a possible expansion of their mutual defense arrangements. Separately, NATO is working to strengthen security in the Arctic region, of which Greenland is a part.

"We in Finland know especially well that the Arctic is a much wider area than only Greenland," Valtonen said. "Let us focus on these two processes. Their results will then be good and sufficient also for Donald Trump."

Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Trump's repeated remarks about US control over the island have caused concern among European allies and renewed debate over Arctic security, sovereignty and NATO cohesion.