Greenland's political leadership is drawing a clear line in the snow. Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and four party leaders released a joint statement Friday night flatly rejecting President Donald Trump's ongoing campaign to bring the island under American control.

"We don't want to be Americans, we don't want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders," they declared, making their position about as unambiguous as it gets.

The statement came after Trump doubled down Friday on his ambitions for the island, framing it as a matter of national security. If the U.S. doesn't own Greenland, he warned, then Russia or China will. According to the Associated Press, the White House is weighing various options for gaining control, including the potential use of military force.

"If we don't do it the easy way, we're going to do it the hard way," Trump said.

Greenland's leaders responded by emphasizing that "Greenland's future must be decided by the Greenlandic people."

Representatives from Denmark, Greenland, and the United States met in Washington last Thursday to discuss the situation, with another meeting scheduled for next week. The diplomatic maneuvering highlights just how serious this has become.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has raised the stakes further, warning that an American takeover of Greenland would mean the end of NATO. How other NATO members would respond to a forcible U.S. acquisition remains an open question.

The whole situation underscores the complex geopolitical tensions surrounding U.S. interest in Greenland and the potential ripple effects on international alliances.