The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland visited Washington, DC, to talk with officials from President Donald Trump’s administration. On Wednesday, officials said they made little progress in changing Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters, “We didn’t manage to change the American position. It’s clear that the president wants to take control of Greenland.”
Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt hoped their discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance would reduce tensions about Greenland’s future.
The meeting didn’t fix some important disagreements. Instead, they decided to make a group to talk about Greenland and safety in the Arctic.
Rasmussen said, “The group should help with American safety concerns and respect Denmark’s land.”
Motzfeldt called for working together with the U.S. but made it clear that Greenland does not want to be “owned by the United States.”
A social media account for Greenland’s government in the U.S. and Canada also pointed out the need for Indigenous voices in discussions about Greenland.
The account stated, “Why don’t you ask us, Kalaallit? The last poll showed that only 6% of Greenlanders/Kalaallit wanted to become part of the U.S.”
China and Russia Pose a Threat to Western Interests
European allies want to work more closely with the United States on security in the Arctic. The Trump administration claims that China and Russia threaten Western interests there.
But these offers have not changed Trump’s belief that the U.S. needs to “own” Greenland. This stance has raised concerns from the Greenland government and U.S. allies in Europe.
On Wednesday, during a ceremony to sign a law about domestic milk consumption, Trump said again that the U.S. should acquire Greenland for “national security” reasons. He also questioned Denmark’s ability to defend against any possible invasion.
“Greenland is very important for national security, including Denmark’s,” Trump told reporters. “If Russia or China wanted to occupy Greenland, Denmark wouldn’t be able to stop them, but the U.S. could.”
He also mentioned that he has “a very good relationship with Denmark” and would receive a briefing about the day’s meetings after his appearance.
The United States already has some military personnel in Greenland and could increase this number based on an existing treaty. “There is currently a base there with about 150 personnel. The Danish and Greenlandic governments are open to discussing expanding the U.S. military presence,” said Al Jazeera correspondent Alan Fisher.
“However, Trump insists that anything less than U.S. control is unacceptable. He wants the U.S. to move into Greenland as soon as possible.”
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