Aaja Chemnitz, Greenland politician standing up to Trump

By AFP
March 8, 2026


Aaja Chemnitz has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her role in de-escalating tensions with the US - Copyright AFP Florent VERGNES

Florent VERGNES

In the streets of Nuuk, Aaja Chemnitz normally goes almost unnoticed. But in recent days, locals have been stopping the Greenland MP to congratulate her on her Nobel Peace Prize nomination — though some fear it could rekindle Washington’s interest in the Arctic island.

Norwegian lawmaker Lars Haltbrekken announced on March 4 that he had nominated Chemnitz, along with US Senator Lisa Murkowski, for the prestigious prize for their role in de-escalating tensions between the US, Denmark and Greenland over President Donald Trump’s threats to take over the Danish autonomous territory.

It was not known whether he submitted the nomination ahead of the January 31 deadline for the 2026 prize, to be announced on October 9.

Chemnitz, 48, who represents Greenland in the Danish parliament as a member of the left-green IA party, was instrumental in bringing a group of US senators to Copenhagen and Greenland earlier this year to try to mend relations shattered by Trump’s threats.

Since returning to the White House just over a year ago, Trump has insisted Washington needs control of Greenland for national security.

Murkowski, a Republican senator from Alaska, has visited the Arctic island several times.

During her latest visit in early February, she said the US and Denmark needed to “rebuild the trust” that had been “eroded and degraded” in just “a few sentences and words”.



– Strong Arctic women –



Chemnitz met with AFP for an interview at the Nuuk cultural centre, where exhibits highlighted Inuit culture and the role of women in Greenlandic society in honour of International Women’s Day on March 8.

“If you take all the strong women out of the Arctic, it would just collapse. We have so many strong women here in the Arctic and in Greenland,” she said.

“A female collaboration on peace is quite beautiful,” Chemnitz said, “especially when we know we have an American president who is also interested in the same prize”.

On a wall behind her hung pictures drawn by children of Greenland’s red-and-white flag, some peppered with insults directed at Trump.

In January, at the height of Greenland tensions, Trump linked his threats against the island to his failure to win last year’s Nobel.

“Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace,” he wrote in a message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.

Norway’s government has repeatedly stressed that it does not award the Nobel Peace Prize, an independent Nobel committee does.

Chemnitz said she and Murkowski would do their best to walk away with the honour.

“I can assure you, if we have just the slightest chance of getting the prize, we won’t give it away to anybody else.”



– ‘A catastrophe’ –



While the pair will face competition for the prize — in 2025, there were 338 candidates — some in Greenland fear the nomination will rekindle tensions with Washington at a time when discretion has been Denmark’s and Greenland’s diplomatic strategy in recent weeks.

“That would be a catastrophe. He’s going to be so furious,” Aqqaluk Lynge, a founder of IA, said of Trump.

“Just give him the Nobel Peace Prize and he’ll leave us alone!”

While Trump climbed down in January from his threat to take over Greenland by force, Lynge worried about the US leader’s unpredictable leadership style.

“We can’t rule out any possibility. It’s simple: the security we used to have in the West is over now.”

Asked about the risk of an angry reaction from the White House, Chemnitz retorted that “as an American president, you have more important things to focus on.”

She expects the US interest in Greenland to continue “like a wave”, ebbing and flowing.

“It’s going to be very important in the lows that we make sure that we have a good collaboration between Greenland and Denmark, so we don’t encourage the US” to seize on the “challenges between Greenland and Denmark”.

After more than 10 years as one of the two Greenland MPs in Denmark’s parliament, Chemnitz will not stand for re-election in Denmark’s March 24 legislative elections.

But, she stressed, “I’m sure I’m going to play a role” in the future of Greenland.