Denmark’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that a “fundamental disagreement” with U.S. President Donald Trump over the future of Greenland remained unresolved after high-level talks in Washington, even as Denmark and NATO allies moved to increase their military presence in the Arctic territory amid rising tensions.
Speaking at a press conference after meeting with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen described the discussions as “frank but also constructive,” but made clear that Denmark and Greenland firmly reject the Trump Administration’s continued efforts to control the semiautonomous island.
“The President has made his view clear, and we have a different position,” Rasmussen said. “Ideas that would not respect the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the right of self-determination of the Greenlandic people are totally unacceptable.”
The high-profile meeting came as Denmark and its NATO partners are taking visible steps to reinforce their presence in Greenland. In Copenhagen, Denmark’s defense minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, announced that Denmark would increase military activity in and around Greenland, citing an increasingly unpredictable security environment. Rasmussen told reporters in Washington that Denmark was reinforcing security in the Arctic “by committing additional funds for military capabilities—not dogsleds, but ships, drones, fighter jets, etc.”
Several European NATO allies confirmed that they were also sending personnel to the island. Sweden’s prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, said that officers from the Swedish Armed Forces had arrived in Greenland to prepare for activities connected to a Danish military exercise, Operation Arctic Endurance. Norway said it would send two military personnel to explore further cooperation with allies.
Germany’s Defense Ministry said it was dispatching a reconnaissance team of 13 military…
