US Ambassador Summoned to MFA Over Trump Map Showing Iceland Under US Flag

US Ambassador Summoned to MFA Following Trump Map Depicting Iceland Under US Flag

On September 8, Iceland summoned the US Ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This was prompted by an image posted on social media by US President Donald Trump, in which Iceland and other countries were depicted in the colors of the US flag, Reuters reported.

In the map published by Trump, the US, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean basin are shown under the American flag. The entire landmass is labeled "United States of America." The US President posted the image on his Truth Social page without any comment.

According to the RUV publication, Icelandic Foreign Minister Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir summoned the US Ambassador to the country, Billee Long, who officially assumed his post in August.

"The position that this post is completely unacceptable was clearly conveyed," the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the broadcaster.

The US State Department, Washington's embassies in Copenhagen and Reykjavik, and its consulate in Nuuk did not respond to requests for comment. The Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs also did not provide additional comments.

Trump has recently repeatedly stated that the US should acquire Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. This has heightened tensions between Washington and Copenhagen, as well as across Europe. Both countries are founding members of NATO.

In August, a referendum was held in Iceland on the issue of resuming negotiations on joining the European Union. In it, the population voted against the negotiations. During this process, Trump's plans regarding Greenland were also discussed.

Some proponents of the negotiations suggested closer relations with the European Union due to a lack of trust in the US. However, according to analysts, the voting result was mainly influenced by domestic economic concerns.

Trump published the aforementioned post a few hours after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's visit to Greenland. During the visit, the European Commission announced that it would invest 200 million euros ($232.5 million) in Greenland.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, in an interview with the Ritzau news agency in Nuuk, said that the position of the people and government of Greenland remains unchanged.

"The government and people of Greenland have repeatedly stated that they do not want to be American. I hope that no one in the US or anywhere else in the world has any doubts about this," she said.