Political leaders in Greenland strongly rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to bring the Arctic island under American control, saying Greenland’s future belongs to its people.

In a joint statement on Friday, Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and four party leaders made it clear that any decisions about the territory’s status, which is now a self-governing part of the Kingdom of Denmark, must be made by Greenlanders themselves. 

“We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danes — we want to be Greenlanders,” they said. 

Trump has repeatedly said he wants to pursue a deal to acquire Greenland, arguing that it's necessary in the face of Russian and Chinese interest in the region.

Trump has suggested that military options remain on the table if the United States cannot obtain the island through negotiation.