Iceland summons US ambassador after Donald Trump shares map annexing island and neighbours

Diplomatic rebuke in Reykjavik

United States President Donald Trump published an image on Truth Social on 7 September 2026 showing Iceland, Greenland, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean covered in the American flag and labelled United States of America. The post appeared without explanatory text as part of a series of 37 posts shared over a 10-hour span. Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir summoned US Ambassador Billy Long on Monday to state that the publication was completely inappropriate. Long had formally assumed his post in Reykjavik in August 2026 after apologising for earlier remarks in which he joked that Iceland could become the 52nd US state. Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir addressed the incident publicly on Tuesday.

It is an insult to Icelanders, Canadians and Greenlanders. There is nothing funny or normal about poking fun at the sovereignty of states.

Pushback across Mexico and the Caribbean

Leaders across Latin America and the Caribbean rejected the altered borders depicted in the post. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected any suggestion of foreign control during her morning press conference on 8 September 2026, adding that Mexico would not accept foreign interference of any kind.

Faced with any foreign power that assumes it can rule in Mexico, the people of Mexico will always step forward to defend their sovereignty and their independence.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel stated that Cuba would never return to being a colony of any empire, emphasizing that the blood shed for its independence and autodetermination would not be in vain. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez mockingly noted that Washington risked leaving its citizens geographically disoriented, pointing to recent decisions by Trump to rename the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario.

Greenland and Nordic security

The social media post appeared hours after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Greenland to announce a €200 million ($232.50 million) investment package. The funding targets renewable energy projects, raw material extraction, and digital connectivity across the Danish territory. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen addressed Trump's recurring statements on acquiring Greenland while speaking to reporters in Nuuk.

The Greenlandic government and the Greenlandic people have said again and again that they do not want to be American. I hope no one is in any doubt about that, either in the United States or the rest of the world.

Danish Foreign Minister called the post disturbing and completely inappropriate, adding that European partners must work to restrain maximalist foreign policy visions.

Icelandic defense and European ties

The diplomatic friction follows a 29 August 2026 referendum in which Iceland voted against reopening formal accession negotiations with the European Union. Bifrost University politics professor Eirikur Bergmann noted that the population of 400,000 residents has historically looked toward Washington as its primary protector. Iceland has had no standing army since gaining independence in 1944, relying on NATO and a 1951 bilateral defense treaty with the United States. Public debate during the August referendum centered on national stability and whether closer alignment with Brussels was necessary given changing American rhetoric. Trump had previously caused concern among Icelandic officials after confusing Iceland with Greenland during a speech in January 2026.