WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Danish official said Wednesday that a “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland remains with President Donald Trump after highly anticipated White House talks involving Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Despite the differences, the two sides agreed to create a working group to discuss ways to work through their disputes as Trump continues to call for a U.S. takeover of the semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark. The Danish official added that it remains “clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland.”
Trump is making the case that NATO should help the U.S. acquire the world’s largest island and insists that anything less than American control is unacceptable. Meanwhile, Denmark announced plans to boost its military presence in the Arctic and North Atlantic as Trump seeks to justify his calls for the U.S. takeover by repeatedly claiming that China and Russia have designs on Greenland, which holds vast untapped reserves of critical minerals.
The president, who did not participate in Wednesday’s meeting, told reporters he remains committed to acquiring the territory.
“We need Greenland for national security,” Trump said. “We’ll see how it all works out. I think something will work out.”
Last month, Trump named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy to Greenland. Although Landry did not attend Wednesday’s meeting, he was scheduled to travel to Washington on Thursday and Friday for meetings that include the topic of Greenland, his spokesperson said. Following Trump’s latest comments, Landry posted on X that Trump was “absolutely right” about acquiring Greenland and called the territory “a critical component of our nation’s national security portfolio.”
Before the meeting, Trump took to social media to argue that “NATO should be leading the way” for the U.S. to acquire the territory. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has maintained an arm’s-length stance from the dispute between the powerful U.S. and the other members of the 32-country alliance, which are unsettled by the aggressive approach Trump has taken toward Denmark.
Both Danish officials Løkke Rasmussen and Motzfeldt expressed cautious optimism that the talks mark the beginning of a conversation that could lead Trump to drop his demand and pave the way for closer cooperation with the U.S.
“We have shown where our limits are and from there, I think that it will be very good to look forward,” Motzfeldt said.
### Denmark Bolsters Presence in the Arctic
In Copenhagen, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced an increased military presence in the Arctic “in close cooperation with our allies,” citing the unpredictable security environment in the region.
Several of Denmark’s allies, including Germany, France, Norway, and Sweden, have announced plans to deploy personnel to Greenland for joint exercises and to explore further military cooperation in the Arctic. NATO is also considering how members can collectively strengthen the alliance’s presence there, according to a NATO official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
### Greenlanders Want the U.S. to Back Off
Greenland is strategically important as climate change melts ice, opening shorter trade routes to Asia and facilitating access to untapped deposits of critical minerals necessary for technologies like computers and phones.
Trump has said Greenland is “vital” to the U.S. Golden Dome missile defense program and warned that Russia and China pose threats in the region. However, experts and many Greenland residents question these assertions. The issue has sparked lively debate on the snow-covered main street of Greenland’s capital, where international journalists have gathered as Trump continues his takeover rhetoric.
In interviews, Greenlanders expressed skepticism about Trump’s intentions.
“Trump is unpredictable,” said Geng Lastein, who immigrated to Greenland 18 years ago from the Philippines.
Maya Martinsen, 21, dismissed Trump’s security rationale, saying, “Trump is after the plentiful oils and minerals that we have that are untouched.” She added, “Greenland has beautiful nature and lovely people. It’s just home to me. I think the Americans just see some kind of business trade.”
Denmark has stated that the U.S., which already maintains military presence on Greenland, can increase its basing there. The U.S. is party to a 1951 treaty that grants it broad rights to establish military bases on Greenland with the consent of Denmark and Greenland.
### Bipartisan Concern Among U.S. Senators
Løkke Rasmussen and Motzfeldt also met with a bipartisan group of senators from the Arctic Caucus, who expressed concern that Trump’s push to acquire Greenland could destabilize NATO and benefit Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who has introduced legislation aimed at blocking any U.S. action to acquire Greenland, called it “stunning” that the matter was even under discussion.
“We are operating in times where we are having conversations about things that we never even thought possible,” Murkowski said.
Senator Angus King, an independent from Maine, called the notion that the U.S. needs to control Greenland for national security “nonsense,” noting that officials were “very open to additional national security assets in Greenland in order to meet whatever risks there are.”
A bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers plans to travel to Copenhagen this week to demonstrate solidarity on the matter.
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Associated Press reporters Burrows in Nuuk, Greenland, and Ciobanu in Warsaw, Poland, contributed to this report. Additional contributions were made by Stefanie Dazio and Geir Moulson in Berlin, Mary Clare Jalonick, Lisa Mascaro, Aamer Madhani, and Will Weissert in Washington, Sara Cline and Jack Brook in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Catherine Gaschka in Paris.
https://whdh.com/news/danish-official-says-theres-a-fundamental-disagreement-with-trump-over-greenland/