Denmark vows to ‘prevent’ U.S. takeover of Greenland after meeting

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Denmark’s prime minister says the country is standing firm in its commitment to “prevent” a threatened U.S. takeover of Greenland, after a meeting with American leaders on Wednesday.

A translation of a statement posted by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on social media on Thursday morning described the meeting and what could come next following U.S. President Donald Trump’s rhetoric that Greenland will be acquired by the U.S. “whether they like it or not.”

“Yesterday I received a briefing about the meeting between Greenland, Denmark and the U.S.A. from Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Motzfeldt — it was not an easy meeting,” said Frederiksen in the statement.

Trump has claimed that the United States must acquire Greenland, a Danish territory dating back centuries, because of “national security.”

He has made repeated claims that NATO and Denmark were not doing enough to defend the Arctic from potential threats, including Russia and China.

Frederiksen’s statement describes how NATO forces are working to establish a stronger security presence in the Arctic and that the alliance will not allow the U.S. to take over Greenland.

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“Now a working group is being established to discuss how to strengthen security in the Arctic,” she said.

“However, this does not change that there is a fundamental disagreement because the American ambition to take over Greenland is intact. It is, of course, serious, and therefore we continue our efforts to prevent that scenario from becoming a reality.”

Greenland and the U.S. are both members of NATO.

“There is an agreement in the NATO alliance that a strengthened presence in the Arctic is crucial for European and North American security,” said Frederiksen.

“Denmark has invested significantly in new Arctic capacities. And I would like to acknowledge that a number of allies these days are contributing to joint exercise activities in and around Greenland. The defence and protection of Greenland is a common concern for the whole NATO alliance.”

She adds that the Danish government will provide an update on Friday for its own government as well as NATO members about the situation at a meeting in the State Ministry.