Iceland summoned the US ambassador following a post by US President Donald Trump on Truth Social, in which the country was depicted as part of a territory under the flag of the United States. Iceland’s Foreign Minister, Torgurdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, summoned US Ambassador Billy Long to seek an explanation. The Icelandic Foreign Ministry stated that the country’s position had been made clear: they regard Trump’s post as «completely out of place».
- Trump posted an unusual map on Truth Social.
- Iceland ended up there under the US flag.
- Reykjavík summoned the US ambassador.
- The Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the publication as inappropriate.
What was on Trump’s map?
In the image released by the US President, The US flag was flown across the United States, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
The entire marked area bore a common inscription — «United States of America».
Trump posted a picture on his social media platform, Truth Social without any explanation, so it is not known for certain whether the post was a political statement, a joke or a provocative visual message.
It was the very inclusion of Iceland on such a map that prompted an official diplomatic response from Reykjavík.
Iceland has summoned the new US ambassador
Iceland’s Foreign Minister, Torgurdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, summoned the US Ambassador for talks Billy Longa.
The diplomat only officially took up his post as US Ambassador to Iceland last month.
According to RUV, the Icelandic side made it clear during the meeting that it considered the US President’s post to be unacceptable.
The US diplomatic missions in Copenhagen and Reykjavík, as well as the US Consulate in Nuuk, have not publicly commented on the situation.
Against the backdrop of Trump’s comments on Greenland
The story attracted particular attention because of previous statements Trump on Greenland.
In recent years, the US President has repeatedly stated that the US needs to gain control of the island, which is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
These statements have already caused tension between Washington and Copenhagen — two of NATO’s founding members — and have raised concerns in other European capitals.
The new map went much further: it now showed not only Greenland but also Iceland, Canada, Mexico and much of Central America and the Caribbean.
The EU has just announced major investments in Greenland
It is telling that Trump’s post appeared a few hours after the European Commission announced a €200 million investment in Greenland during the visit of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen subsequently reiterated that the authorities and people of Greenland had repeatedly stated that they did not wish to become part of the United States.
Previously, the island’s authorities had also publicly ruled out the possibility of it coming under US control.
Iceland has also been reviewing its relations with the EU
The debate surrounding Washington’s Arctic policy is also significant for Iceland itself.
In August, the country held referendum regarding a possible the resumption of negotiations on accession to the European Union, but the voters opposed this move.
Reuters notes that during the campaign, supporters of closer ties with the EU cited the reliability of the US as a partner – in light of Trump’s stance on Greenland – as one of their arguments. At the same time, analysts believed that the result of the vote was primarily influenced by domestic economic issues.
The current diplomatic incident may once again intensify the debate in Iceland about relations with the US and Europe.
