India, Jan. 16 -- Amid talks about the United States acquiring Greenland, residents of the Arctic island are pushing back strongly on the idea that their homeland can be bought, while leaving the door open to a very different conversation: independence.

Greenlanders interviewed by the New York Post said they overwhelmingly reject any notion of being "for sale," even as many express frustration with Denmark's long-standing control over the territory.

In Nuuk, Greenland's capital, locals told the Post that US interest has been received not-so-well. The interest is reportedly driven by national security concerns, rare-earth minerals and the island's strategic Arctic location.

"We are not for sale. Our land is not for sale," Nuuk carpenter...