WASHINGTON – Greenland Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede said on Wednesday that his country is not for sale, after

President Donald Trump reiterated calls that the U.S. should acquire the territory in his joint address on Tuesday.

Egede’s remarks come after Trump – despite acknowledging Greenland’s right to self-determination – said in his speech that the U.S. will still acquire the country “one way or the other.” 

More:What do Americans think of Trump’s plans to acquire Greenland? Half say it’s a bad idea.

In response, Egede wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday that, “We do not want to be Americans, nor Danes, we are Kalaallit (Greenlanders).”

“We are not for sale and cannot be taken. Our future is determined by us in Greenland,” he added. 

What conflict abroad means for Americans: Sign up for USA TODAY’s Russia-Ukraine Crisis newsletter.

More: ‘Buy us!’: Greenlanders shocked, intrigued, bewildered by Trump zeal for Arctic territory

This isn’t the first term Trump has proposed taking over Greenland, or that Egede has pushed back. Trump said in January that the U.S. needs the territory “for national security purposes.”

The U.S. already has a military base in Greenland, but having more control of the entire island would enable Washington to better protect against expansionist efforts by Russia and, more recently, China.

“You don’t even need binoculars,” Trump said then. “You look outside. You have China ships all over the place. You have Russian ships all over the place. We’re not letting that happen.”

In February, Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen said that, “Greenland is today a part of the kingdom of Denmark. It is part of our territory, and it’s not for sale.”

Contributing; Josh Meyer, Reuters