Denmark's foreign minister has said there is a fundamental disagreement with the US over Greenland after talks at the White House.
Lars Lokke Rasmussen said the meeting with Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday had been frank but constructive. But he added that US President Trump was insisting on conquering Greenland which was totally unacceptable.
We made it very, very clear that this is not in the interest of [Denmark], he said.
Trump afterwards reiterated his interest in acquiring the resource-rich island, a position that has rattled allies across Europe and stoked tensions with NATO.
The hour-long meeting between the US, Denmark and Greenland failed to bring a major breakthrough, although all sides agreed to set up a high-level working group to discuss the future of the autonomous Danish territory.
Rasmussen said there were red lines the US could not cross, and the working group would meet in the coming weeks in an effort to find a compromise. He added that Denmark and Greenland were open to the possibility of the US opening more military bases on the island.
Despite being the most sparsely populated territory, Greenland's location between North America and the Arctic makes it well placed for early warning systems in the event of missile attacks, and for monitoring vessels in the region.
Trump has repeatedly said that Greenland is vital to US national security. The US already has more than 100 military personnel permanently stationed at its Pituffik base in Greenland's north-western tip - a facility that has been operated by the US since World War Two.
Public opinion polls show a majority of Greenland residents oppose coming under US control. Most Americans oppose US control of Greenland as well. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday found that just 17% of Americans support the US seizing Greenland, compared to 47 percent who said they opposed Trump's push to acquire the island.
As tensions simmered in Washington, allies in Europe moved quickly to show support for Greenland. Sweden pledged to send armed forces to Greenland at Denmark's request. France's foreign minister declared plans to open a consulate on the island next month, and Germany stated it would send a reconnaissance team to assess military contributions to support Denmark in ensuring security in the region.
Denmark said its military expansion in Greenland will take place in close cooperation with allies and stated that Geopolitical tensions have spread to the Arctic.
The White House talks reflect ongoing concerns over Trump’s interest in Greenland, with uncertainty remaining about potential military action linked to acquiring the island.
