Zonia Paris
Denmark and the US are stuck in a ‘fundamental disagreement’ over Greenland after leaders from both countries met for talks in Washington earlier today.
Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said the meeting with vice president JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio was ‘frank’ and ‘constructive’ but admitted work was needed to ‘find a common way forward’.
‘The discussions focused on how to ensure the long-term security in Greenland, and here our perspectives continue to differ,’ Mr Rasmussen told reporters after joining Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, for the talks.
‘I must say the president has made his view clear and we have a different position,’ he added.
Donald Trump is trying to make the case to seize control of the island because of its location, its mineral resources and rising Russian and Chinese military activity in the region – and has not ruled out the use of force.
His warnings have ignited worry among European countries, especially following the US attack on Venezuela last week.
Danish defense minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced an increase in Denmark’s ‘military presence and exercise activity’ on Greenland on Tuesday, while soldiers from from Sweden are also en route.
Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X on Wednesday that, ‘Some officers from the Swedish Armed Forces are arriving in Greenland today,’ as part of a group from several allied countries.
And Germany is also reportedly planning to send troops to the island as part of a ‘reconnaissance team’ seeking to ‘deter potential external aggressors and protect the alliance’s territory’, German news outlet Bild reported.
The team will comprise of 13 members of the Bundeswehr – Germany’s Armed Forces – and they will only stay in the country for two days, according to the BBC.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment after the roughly hour-long meeting.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office shortly after the meeting, Trump said he still needed to be briefed on the meeting, but reiterated his case that the US needed Greenland for national security purposes.
‘Greenland is very important for the national security, including of Denmark,’ Trump said.
‘And the problem is there’s not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there’s everything we can do. You found that out last week with Venezuela,’ he added.
‘I can’t rely on Denmark being able to fend themselves off.’
Following the meeting, Mr Rasmussen told reporters that it remains ‘clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland’.
‘And we made it very, very clear that this is not in the interest of the kingdom,’ he said, citing a ‘fundamental disagreement’ with the Trump administration but willing to keep talking.
‘We have decided to form a high-level working group to explore if we can find a common way forward,’ he told reporters.
‘The group, in our view, should focus on how to address the American security concerns, while at the same time respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark. We expect that such a group will meet for first time within a matter of weeks.’
Earlier today, it emerged that the UK has reportedly held talks with its European allies about deploying a military force to Greenland.
The new mission, named the ‘Arctic Sentry’ would monitor threats in the region, similarly to NATO’s ‘Baltic Sentry’ operation which began last year to increase the surveillance of ships in the Baltic Sea.
Still in its early stages, the plans could see the deployment of British soldiers, planes and warships to guard the Danish island, in a move Europe hopes will deter Trump’s threats.
Speaking on Sunday, Germany’s vice-chancellor Lars Klingbeil urged the US to respect international law.
He said: ‘It is solely a matter for Denmark and Greenland to decide on the future of Greenland.’
Meanwhile, in Copenhagen, Danish defense minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced an increase in Denmark’s ‘military presence and exercise activity’ in the Arctic and the North Atlantic ‘in close cooperation with our allies’.
Poulsen said at a news conference the stepped-up military presence was necessary in a security environment in which ‘no one can predict what will happen tomorrow’.
‘This means that from today and in the coming time there will be an increased military presence in and around Greenland of aircraft, ships and soldiers, including from other NATO allies,’ Poulsen said.
Other NATO allies were arriving in Greenland along with Danish personnel, he said.
Poulsen declined to name the other countries contributing to increased Arctic presence, saying that it is up to the allies to announce their own participation.
Earlier, Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X that, ‘Some officers from the Swedish Armed Forces are arriving in Greenland today,’ as part of a group from several allied countries.
‘Together, they will prepare events within the framework of the Danish exercise Operation Arctic Endurance,’ Kristersson said. Two Norwegian military personnel also will be sent to Greenland to map out further cooperation with allies, the country’s defense minister Tore O Sandvik told newspaper VG.
Source: Dailymail.co.uk | Read the Full Story…
