Denmark’s foreign minister meets US officials to defuse tensions over Trump’s vow to seize Greenland, as the island’s leaders firmly reject the idea.
WASHINGTON: Denmark’s top diplomat visits the White House in a high-stakes attempt to lower the temperature on Greenland.
US President Donald Trump has vowed to seize the vast, strategic Arctic island from the longtime ally.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with Vice President JD Vance also joining the talks.
Rasmussen said he hoped to “clear up certain misunderstandings” by requesting the meeting.
Trump recently stated he wanted Greenland “whether they like it or not” and “if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.”
He claims the United States needs Greenland due to the threat of a takeover by Russia or China.
Greenland’s leaders have been unequivocal in their rejection of Trump’s designs.
“Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed by the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States,” Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said.
He spoke alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who said standing up to “completely unacceptable pressure from our closest ally” had not been easy.
Denmark has rejected US claims it is not protecting Greenland, noting it invested almost 90 billion kroner (USD 14 billion) to boost its Arctic military presence.
Analysts suggest the meeting’s outcome hinges on the US approach.
“If the US continues with, ‘We have to have Greenland at all cost,’ it could be a very short meeting,” said Penny Naas of the German Marshall Fund.
A senior US Congressional delegation will visit Copenhagen after the talks to offer solidarity.
“President Trump’s continued threats toward Greenland are unnecessary and would only weaken our NATO alliance,” said Senate Democrat Dick Durbin.
