Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt speak at a news conference at the Embassy of Denmark (AP photo)
Officials from Greenland and Denmark met in Washington on Wednesday with senior White House officials including vice president JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio amid renewed remarks by US President Donald Trump arguing that Nato should help the United States acquire Greenland, insisting that anything short of American control over the world’s largest island is unacceptable.In a press conference after the meeting, Danish official said that a ‘fundamental disagreement’ over Greenland remains with White House after talks with Vance, Rubio. He further stated that it’s “Absolutely not necessary” for US to seize Greenland, while adding that “Trump has clear wish of ‘conquering’ Greenland.”
Despite their differences, the two sides agreed to establish a working group to explore ways to manage disagreements, even as President Donald Trump continues to press for a US takeover of Denmark’s Arctic territory of Greenland.Speaking to reporters after the closely watched meeting, which was also attended by Greenland’s foreign minister, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said the group would seek to balance US security concerns with Denmark’s position.“The group, in our view, should focus on how to address the American security concerns, while at the same time respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark,” Rasmussen said. As the talks were under way, Denmark announced plans to strengthen its military presence in the Arctic and North Atlantic, even as Trump continued to justify his call for a US takeover of the vast territory by repeatedly claiming that China and Russia have designs on Greenland.Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met for about an hour with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt to discuss Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark.Hours before the meeting, Trump reiterated on his social media platform that the US “needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security.” He added that “NATO should be leading the way for us to get it” and warned that otherwise Russia or China would — “AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!”“NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES,” Trump wrote. “Anything less than that is unacceptable.”In response, Greenland’s representatives to the US and Canada posted on social media, “Why don’t you ask us?” and pointed to polling showing a low percentage of island residents support becoming part of the US. Meanwhile, in Copenhagen, Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced an increase in Denmark’s “military presence and exercise activity” in the Arctic and North Atlantic, “in close cooperation with our allies.”Poulsen said the enhanced presence was necessary in a security environment in which “no one can predict what will happen tomorrow.”“This means that from today and in the coming time there will be an increased military presence in and around Greenland of aircraft, ships and soldiers, including from other NATO allies,” he said.Other Nato allies were already arriving in Greenland alongside Danish forces, Poulsen added, declining to name the countries involved and saying it was up to each ally to announce its own participation.Earlier, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X that “some officers from the Swedish Armed Forces are arriving in Greenland today” as part of a multinational group. “Together, they will prepare events within the framework of the Danish exercise Operation Arctic Endurance,” he said.Norway is also sending two military personnel to Greenland to explore further cooperation with allies, Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik told newspaper VG.
