Iceland has sharply criticized a Truth Social post by U.S. President Donald Trump displaying a map that appears to place Iceland, Greenland, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean beneath the American flag.
Iceland summoned U.S. Ambassador Billy Long following the Sept. 8 post, which carried no caption or explanation. Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Gunnarsdottir said the meeting was held to convey that the image was "completely unacceptable" from Iceland's perspective.
Speaking at a news conference, Gunnarsdottir told Iceland's national broadcaster RÚV that the Nordic nation of nearly 400,000 people stood with Greenland over Trump's annexation threats and would not soften its position. "This is not a joke," she said. "If it is meant to be a joke, it is a very poor one."
A White House spokesperson was not immediately available for comment when contacted Wednesday morning.
Trump has long advocated for U.S. control of Greenland, the self-governing Danish territory, citing national security grounds. During a special address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland earlier this year, he appeared to repeatedly confuse Greenland and Iceland.
Iceland recently voted to reject restarting membership talks with the European Union, as domestic priorities such as control over fishing outweighed geopolitical security considerations.
Danish and Mexican officials also pushed back against the map. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen described the post as "disturbing and, in many ways, completely inappropriate," telling national broadcaster DR that it signaled the U.S. president still harbored a "maximalist vision" that needed to be rein in.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that Mexico "is neither nor will be a colony or protectorate of any foreign country," adding, "Proudly we are a free, independent, and sovereign nation."
