Denmark says there is a ‘basic disagreement’ with Trump over Greenland

WASHINGTON — A high Danish official stated Wednesday {that a} “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland stays with President Donald Trump after talks in Washington with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The 2 sides, nonetheless, agreed to create a working group to debate methods to work via variations as Trump continues to name for a U.S. takeover of Denmark’s Arctic territory of Greenland.

“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,” Danish International Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen instructed reporters after a extremely anticipated assembly wherein Greenland’s international minister additionally participated

Trump is making an attempt to make the case that NATO ought to assist the U.S. purchase the world’s largest island and says something lower than it being below American management is unacceptable.

Denmark has introduced plans to spice up the nation’s army presence within the Arctic and North Atlantic as Trump tries to justify his requires a U.S. takeover of the huge territory by repeatedly claiming that China and Russia have their designs on Greenland.

Vance and Rubio met with Løkke Rasmussen and Greenlandic International Minister Vivian Motzfeldt for roughly an hour to debate Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark.

However a couple of hours earlier than the officers sat down, Trump reiterated on his social media website that the U.S. “needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security.” He added that “NATO should be leading the way for us to get it” and that in any other case Russia or China would — “AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!”

“NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES,” Trump wrote. “Anything less than that is unacceptable.”

In response, Greenland’s representatives to the U.S. and Canada posted on social media, “Why don’t you ask us?” and famous the low share of island residents who favor changing into a part of the U.S.

Denmark bolstering presence in Arctic

In Copenhagen, Danish Protection Minister Troels Lund Poulsen introduced a rise in Denmark’s “military presence and exercise activity” within the Arctic and the North Atlantic, “in close cooperation with our allies”.

Poulsen stated at a information convention the stepped-up army presence was essential in a safety setting wherein “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 stated.

Different NATO allies had been arriving in Greenland together with Danish personnel, he stated. Poulsen declined to call the opposite nations contributing to elevated Arctic presence, saying that it’s as much as the allies to announce their very 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 a part of a bunch from a number of allied nations. “Together, they will prepare events within the framework of the Danish exercise Operation Arctic Endurance,” Kristersson stated. Two Norwegian army personnel additionally might be despatched to Greenland to map out additional cooperation with allies, the nation’s Protection Minister Tore O. Sandvik instructed newspaper VG.

Greenlanders need the U.S. to again off

Folks stroll alongside a road in downtown of Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday.

Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

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Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, stated Tuesday that “if we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU.”

Requested about these feedback, Trump replied: “I disagree with him. I don’t know who he is. I don’t know anything about him. But, that’s going to be a big problem for him.”

Greenland is strategically essential as a result of, as local weather change causes the ice to soften, it opens up the potential for shorter commerce routes to Asia. That additionally may make it simpler to extract and transport untapped deposits of essential minerals that are wanted for computer systems and telephones.

Trump says Greenland can also be “vital” to the US’ Golden Dome missile protection program. He additionally has stated he needs the island to develop America’s safety and has repeatedly cited what he says is the menace from Russian and Chinese language ships as a cause to manage it.

However consultants and Greenlanders query that declare.

“The only Chinese I see is when I go to the fast food market,” heating engineer Lars Vintner stated. He stated he continuously goes crusing and searching and has by no means seen Russian or Chinese language ships.

His buddy, Hans Nørgaard, agreed, including “what has come out of the mouth of Donald Trump about all these ships is just fantasy.”

Denmark has stated the U.S, which already has a army presence, can increase its bases on Greenland. The U.S. is celebration to a 1951 treaty that offers it broad rights to arrange army bases there with the consent of Denmark and Greenland.

For that cause, “security is just a cover,” Vintner stated, suggesting Trump really needs to personal the island to earn money from its untapped pure sources.

Mikaelsen, the coed, stated Greenlanders profit from being a part of Denmark, which gives free well being care, schooling and funds throughout research, and “I don’t want the U.S. to take that away from us.”

Løkke Rasmussen and Motzfeldt, together with Denmark’s ambassador to the U.S., deliberate to satisfy later Wednesday with senators from the Arctic Caucus, A bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers can also be heading to Copenhagen this week to see Danish and Greenlandic officers.