The prime minister of Greenland now says that he is "ready" to meet with President-Elect Donald Trump. 

Mute Egede, according to the New York Post, made the remark during a recent press conference on Friday.

This comes amid remarks from Trump suggesting that he wants to buy Greenland for the United States. Trump says that he has good reasons for this.

The question, though, is whether it will actually happen.

Things are heating up...

The fact that Egede has publicly stated that he is ready to meet with Trump is already a big step forward.

The Post reports:

At a press conference Friday in Denmark, which exercises nominal sovereignty over Greenland, Egede said he accepted that Greenland was “a place that the Americans see as part of their world” and that while he has not spoken with Trump, he was open to “discussions about what unites us.” “We are ready to talk,” he said. “Cooperation is about dialogue. Cooperation means that you will work towards solutions.”

While Egede said that he is ready to talk with Trump, he also said that his people do not want to be Americans.

For what it is worth, Egede does not want Greenland to be associated with Denmark either. He has been pushing for independence.

Trump, though, has other ideas.

Background

Trump, according to The Hill, believes that Greenland is "an absolute necessity" for the United States to have control over.

Trump has said:

For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.

One of the big questions now is what Trump is willing to do to get control over Greenland.

The Associated Press reports:

The comments from the Greenlandic leader, Múte B. Egede, came after Trump said earlier this week that he wouldn’t rule out using force or economic pressure in order to make Greenland — a semiautonomous territory of Denmark — a part of the United States. Trump said that it was a matter of national security for the U.S.

The outlet further explains:

Greenland has a population of 57,000. But it’s a vast territory possessing natural resources that include oil, gas, and rare earth elements, which are expected to become more accessible as ice melts because of climate change. It also has a key strategic location in the Arctic, where Russia, China and others are seeking to expand their footprint.