275,000 eligible Icelanders cast ballots Saturday on a referendum to reopen European Union membership negotiations, a question that has divided the NATO ally for years and taken on a new security dimension after President Donald Trump's push to acquire neighboring Greenland. Iceland is strategically positioned in the North Atlantic, roughly 180 miles from Greenland, has no military of its own, and relies on NATO and a longstanding defense agreement with the United States for its security, the Associated Press and RTE reported.
As of Saturday evening, the result had not been officially called. If the vote passes, Iceland resumes EU accession talks, followed by a second referendum on actual membership, RTE reported. Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir's government has pledged to respect the outcome, though the referendum is technically nonbinding.
Domestic and economic issues featured prominently in the campaign. Frostadóttir, speaking after casting her ballot, called the race "extremely exciting" and said the debate had elevated discussion of the EU, Iceland's place in the world, and its geopolitical situation to a higher level. Trump's Greenland interest has unsettled some Icelanders and raised questions about whether closer EU ties could provide an additional security layer for the island, the AP reported.
The Greenland dimension
Trump has said the United States would obtain Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, "one way or the other." His administration has weighed options including the potential use of military force against territory belonging to Denmark, a fellow NATO member. Such a move would pose an extraordinary challenge to the alliance's collective-defense commitments.
Iceland was drawn more directly into Trump's Greenland focus earlier this year. Billy Long, the former congressman now serving as Trump's ambassador to Iceland, apologized after privately joking to House lawmakers that Iceland could become the "52nd state" with him as its governor. The Associated Press also reported that Trump has misidentified Iceland when discussing Greenland on multiple occasions.