Denmark’s top diplomat said on Wednesday he failed to change the Trump administration’s stance on Greenland after flying to Washington for high-level talks.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen met Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio alongside Greenland’s foreign minister, hoping to resolve what they described as serious misunderstandings following President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to seize the autonomous Arctic island.
After the meeting, Rasmussen told reporters that the American position remained unchanged. He said Trump clearly wanted control over Greenland and stressed that such an outcome was not in Denmark’s national interest. Rasmussen added that a US takeover was unnecessary, even though Washington has long maintained a military base on the island.
He underlined that any proposal undermining Denmark’s territorial integrity or Greenlanders’ right to self-determination was unacceptable. Despite sharp differences, both sides agreed to continue dialogue and establish a committee to explore possible progress within weeks.
TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN AS ALLIES PUSH BACK
Earlier, Trump insisted Nato should support US efforts to take control of Greenland, calling the island vital to his planned Golden Dome missile defence system. He warned on social media that the United States could not allow Russia or China to gain influence there. Meanwhile, the White House posted a mocking image about Greenland during the talks, drawing criticism in Copenhagen.
Denmark rejected claims of foreign encroachment, noting that no Chinese ship had visited Greenland in a decade. Copenhagen has pledged to expand its military presence on the island and says it has invested nearly $14 billion in Arctic security. The dispute has shaken transatlantic relations, with Denmark and Greenland reiterating that only Greenlanders can decide the island’s future. In Nuuk, residents displayed national flags in solidarity as talks unfolded behind closed doors.
