With the conflict in Iran still smoldering, the president’s obsession with it seems like a forgotten side story. However, for the past four months, negotiators from the Arctic nation, which controls the island’s foreign policy, have been holding top secret talks in Washington on the region’s future.
The talks were initially aimed at offering Trump a “way out” of his threats to take over Greenland militarily, de-escalating a crisis that threatened to tear apart the NATO alliance. But Greenlandic leaders are deeply concerned about what is on the table, which translates into a dramatically upgraded US role on the Arctic island. They fear, in fact, that if the front with Iran defuses, the American president will turn his aggression against them again.
Some Greenlandic politicians have a specific date circled on their calendars: June 14, Donald Trump’s birthday.
REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov/File Photo
A New York Times investigation, based on interviews with officials in Washington, Copenhagen and Greenland, reveals the background:
- The ‘perpetuity clause’: The US is trying to amend a long-standing military agreement to ensure US troops can remain in Greenland indefinitely, even if the island becomes independent. It is essentially an “eternity clause”, which provokes strong reactions in Greenlanders.
- The ‘veto’ on investments: Washington is pushing for the talks to expand beyond military issues, demanding veto power over any major investment deals in Greenland, aiming to shut out competitors such as Russia and China. Greenlanders and Danes strongly oppose it.
- Mineral wealth under the ice: US discusses cooperation with Greenland on natural resources. The island is full of oil, uranium, rare earths and other critical metals, although much of it is buried deep beneath the ice.
- Military Expansion: The Pentagon is rapidly advancing plans for military expansion. Recently, he sent a Marine Corps officer to Narsarsuaq, a town in southern Greenland, to inspect the World War II-era airfield, harbor and sites where US troops could be housed.
“Like raising our flag to half-mast”
The American demands are so harsh that Greenlandic officials fear they amount to an ablation of their sovereignty. Despite assurances from Danish and US officials that Greenland’s future depends solely on its 57,000 inhabitants, locals stress that the US terms will tie their hands for generations.
If the Americans take everything they want, said Justus Hansen, a member of Greenland’s parliament, there will never be “real independence”. “It will be like raising our own flag to the middle of the mast,” he said characteristically.
The State Department and Danish officials are tight-lipped about the negotiations, which are being led by one of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s top advisers, Michael Needham.
The American Vision for the Arctic
Gen. Gregory M. Guillaume, head of the Pentagon’s Northern Command, recently outlined to the Times the broader American vision for defending the Arctic — an area of intense geopolitical competition as climate change melts ice and opens passages in one of the world’s most inaccessible parts.
General Guillaume explained that Greenland will be part of a chain of interconnected radar stations and military bases, which also includes sites in Alaska and Canada. He added that the US military needs a deep-water port and a base for Special Forces soldiers. According to him, this could be achieved through the defense pact the US signed with Denmark in 1951, when Greenland was still a Danish colony.
Trump’s “unpredictability” and the pressure of time
Negotiators have met about five times in Washington since January, when Trump threatened to seize Greenland, calling it essential to US national security. Although he eventually backed down because of the Iran front, the White House has made it clear that its interest remains undiminished.
Negotiators hope to reach a deal that will be accepted by the impulsive president, although the two sides are still far apart. Dylan Johnson, assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, said: “This is not a president who allows problems to sit unsolved for future presidents to deal with.”
“It’s not fair, we feel trapped”
Greenlanders make it clear that they do not want to become part of the US, but are open to the presence of more US troops – as was the case during World War II and the Cold War. However, they feel they are being forced into unacceptable concessions without any means of pressure.
“None of this is fair,” said Pipaluk Lynge, chair of the Greenland parliament’s foreign affairs committee. “The best outcome for us is simply not to be invaded or controlled.”
Vivian Motzfeld, the former foreign minister of Greenland, fears that if the wars in Iran and Ukraine end, Russia and the US will simultaneously turn to the Arctic. “They’re coming from both sides,” she said, expressing concern about US national holidays such as the Fourth of July or Trump’s birthday: “If he wants to implement his policy of a ‘greater America,’ he could take advantage of days like this.”
From the badminton courts to the geopolitical storm
Ritzau Scanpix/via REUTERS
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen makes it clear that environmental rules for mineral extraction will remain strict. Nielsen, 33, a former badminton champion who took office last year, is suddenly at the center of an international storm. For protection, he relies on Denmark.
“The question of Greenland’s independence and our relationship with Denmark is something we have to decide internally. It is not something that the Americans or anyone else should be involved in,” he states categorically.
However, today and despite the absence of a change in the American attitude, he spoke of a first “constructive” meeting with the US envoy to Greenland Jeff Landry, governor of Louisiana.
“It was a constructive meeting where we were able to discuss in a good mood and with great mutual respect,” the head of the Greenlandic government told reporters.
“We have clearly reminded that the people of Greenland are not for sale and that Greenlanders have the right to self-determination. It’s not a matter for negotiation,” Nielsen emphasized.
“This meeting showed me no sign that anything has changed” in the American position, he found, however.
“Our starting point has not changed. We have our red line. The starting point of the Americans has also not changed,” Foreign Minister Mute Egende pointed out for his part.
The “ghost” of China over the Arctic
Washington is eager to acquire veto power to block Moscow and Beijing. In 2018, a Chinese state-owned company was the frontrunner to build new airports on the island. After stifling American pressure on Denmark, Greenland finally chose a Danish company.
Although Greenlanders want independence, they lack intelligence capabilities to vet potential investors. Thus, a mechanism is being discussed where Copenhagen will do the checking with the assistance of the US. The paradoxical result? Instead of Greenland gaining more sovereignty, the negotiations could give Denmark even more control over the giant island.
Sitting in his office, wearing a black suit and black sneakers, Prime Minister Nielsen did not hide his disappointment: “We would like to see an end to this. Because this is a very strange situation.”
