Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen declared after the negotiations in Washington that American intentions to acquire Greenland are still meeting Denmark’s resistance. Despite their differences, the representatives agreed to create a joint working group focused on security issues in the Arctic.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen said on Wednesday after talks in the United States about Greenland that the positions of the two sides regarding the future of this Danish autonomous territory continue to differ. According to him, it is obvious that US President Donald Trump wants to “conquer” Greenland, but the representatives agreed at the meeting to continue the dialogue. TASR informs about it according to The Guardian.
- Denmark and the US do not agree on the future of Greenland.
- The American president wants to get Greenland for the USA.
- Denmark rejects threats to its territorial integrity and self-determination.
- Both sides will establish a working group on Arctic issues.
- The US justifies its interest with the need for national security.
Rasmussen described the discussion as honest and constructive. According to him, the main topic was ensuring the long-term security of Greenland. The meeting in Washington was attended by US Vice President JD Vance, the head of US diplomacy Marco Rubio and Greenlandic Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Motzfeldtová.
Greenland in the interest of the USA
“It is clear that the president (Trump) wants to conquer Greenland. We have made it very clear that this is not in the interest of the Kingdom of Denmark,” Rasmussen declared. However, the head of Danish diplomacy “continues to believe that Greenland’s long-term security can be ensured within the current framework”. He stressed that Denmark and Greenland consider “any ideas that do not respect the territorial integrity of Denmark and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination” to be “absolutely unacceptable”.
At the meeting, representatives of both parties agreed to establish a high-level working group. It will focus on US Arctic security concerns while respecting Denmark’s red lines. According to the head of Danish diplomacy, the first meeting could take place “in a few weeks”.
Arctic Working Group
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to acquire Greenland, citing US national security needs as well as an effort to prevent Russia and China from seizing it. He did not rule out the use of military force to achieve this goal.
Rasmussen stressed at Wednesday’s meeting that there are no immediate threats from China and Russia that Denmark, Greenland and their allies cannot handle on their own. Both ministers also conveyed to the American side that it is difficult to find solutions to American security concerns in the Arctic, when new threats are coming from the US side every day.
