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The USA and Denmark will hold talks on Greenland — the first at a high level after statements by American President Donald Trump about intentions to control the island.
This is written by Financial Times with reference to sources.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, is going to meet with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, on the sidelines of the NATO foreign ministers’ summit in Brussels, which will begin on April 3.
However, unnamed officials warn that the meeting may still be canceled due to tense relations between Copenhagen and Washington. Currently, Danish and American officials maintain bilateral contacts at a minimal level.
Denmark, which previously tried to ignore Trump’s demands and called on its allies not to react to his comments about Greenland, has changed its tactics in recent weeks — and is trying to compete with Washington’s rhetoric. This weekend, Rasmussen publicly responded to attacks by the Trump administration:
“Of course, we are open to criticism. But let me be absolutely frank: we do not like the tone in which this is said… This is not how you speak to your close allies,” noted the head of the Danish MFA.
In December 2024, Donald Trump stated that “ownership and control over Greenland is an absolute necessity” for US national security. He said he was interested in buying the island back during his first presidential term. Later, he repeatedly stated that he wanted to take possession of the island.
After Trump’s statement, Denmark decided to significantly increase defense spending on the island and also changed the royal coat of arms, so that the symbol of Greenland and the Faroe Islands became more noticeable.
After the inauguration of President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had a conversation with him — it went just terribly, wrote Financial Times.
In March 2025, parliamentary elections were held in Greenland, and the center-right party Demokraatit won — it supports the island’s independence. Some Greenlandic politicians initially supported Trump’s statements to push their aspirations for independence from Copenhagen. But signs are increasingly appearing that Greenlanders are concerned about too hasty a separation from Denmark.
Read also: State Department: Trump rejected the idea of “temporary governance under UN auspices” in Ukraine
