Denmark and Greenland Push Back on U.S. Rhetoric, Seeking Cooperation — Not Control — in the Arctic

WASHINGTON — Senior officials from Denmark and Greenland sought on Thursday to lower tensions with the United States over the future of Greenland, emphasizing alliance, cooperation, and existing security frameworks after a series of remarks by President Donald Trump reignited concerns about U.S. intentions in the Arctic.

Speaking after meetings with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said the discussions were “frank but constructive,” even as fundamental disagreements remain over sovereignty and long-term security arrangements for Greenland.

“We have a different position,” Mr. 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.”

Alongside him stood Vivian Motzfeldt, who echoed that message, stressing that Greenland seeks stronger cooperation with the United States as an ally — not ownership or control.

A Strategic Region Under Renewed Scrutiny

Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, has become a focal point of geopolitical competition as melting Arctic ice opens new shipping routes and access to natural resources. The United States has long maintained a military presence there, most notably at Pituffik Space Base, under a 1951 defense agreement with Denmark.

That agreement, Danish officials emphasized, already grants Washington extensive access and flexibility. “The U.S. can always ask for an increased presence in Greenland,” Mr. Rasmussen said, adding that Copenhagen would examine such requests constructively.

Greenland is also covered by NATO’s Article 5 collective defense guarantee, a point Danish officials highlighted as evidence that existing frameworks can address American security concerns without altering sovereignty.

Disagreement, But Continued Dialogue

The meeting followed months of public friction after President Trump revived rhetoric about acquiring Greenland — an idea he first raised during his previous term and which has been repeatedly rejected by Danish and Greenlandic leaders.

Mr. Rasmussen acknowledged that the United States and Denmark “agree to disagree” on that question, but said both sides had committed to forming a high-level working group to explore ways to strengthen Arctic security while respecting Danish and Greenlandic “red lines.”

“The whole idea was to move the debate from black-and-white statements into a space where nuance is possible,” he said. The working group is expected to convene within weeks.

Addressing Security Concerns

Danish officials said they share U.S. concerns about a changing security environment in the Arctic, particularly over the long term. They noted that Denmark has already increased defense spending in the region, committing billions of dollars to new capabilities including naval vessels, drones, and fighter jets.

“The situation is entirely different from the past,” Mr. Rasmussen said, recalling that during the Cold War the United States maintained dozens of installations and thousands of troops in Greenland — a footprint that has since been dramatically reduced by American choice, not Danish policy.

He also pushed back on claims circulating in U.S. political discourse about a growing Chinese military presence in Greenland, saying intelligence assessments do not support such assertions and that both Denmark and Greenland have blocked Chinese investments deemed sensitive.

Greenland’s Perspective

For Greenland, the debate is not abstract. Ms. Motzfeldt stressed the emotional weight of repeated public statements suggesting Greenland could be taken over or acquired.

“It is never more important to say clearly that we are allies, we are friends, and we have cooperated for many, many years,” she said. “But that does not mean we want to be owned.”

Greenland’s government, she added, enjoys broad domestic support for remaining within the Kingdom of Denmark while pursuing greater autonomy — a position reiterated this week by Greenland’s prime minister.

An Alliance Tested by Rhetoric

The Danish delegation acknowledged that constant public pressure complicates diplomacy. “It is not easy to think innovatively about solutions when you wake up every morning to new threats,” Mr. Rasmussen said, referring to social media statements and public comments.

Still, he emphasized Denmark’s long alliance with the United States, noting that the two countries have shared security burdens for decades, including in Afghanistan.

“We look at ourselves as the United States’ closest allies,” he said. “But cooperation must be respectful.”

What Comes Next

The immediate outcome of the talks was not a resolution, but a process. The planned working group will seek to identify ways to address American security concerns — potentially through NATO or bilateral measures — without crossing Denmark’s and Greenland’s red lines on sovereignty and self-determination.

Whether that effort succeeds remains uncertain. U.S. officials have not publicly retreated from President Trump’s broader rhetoric, and Danish leaders conceded that they did not change Washington’s position in the meeting.

Still, both sides described value in moving the discussion from public confrontation to structured dialogue.

“As allies, it is in all our interests to find the right balance,” Ms. Motzfeldt said.

In an Arctic increasingly defined by strategic competition, climate change, and great-power interest, Denmark and Greenland are betting that diplomacy — however strained — remains preferable to escalation. Whether Washington shares that calculation may become clearer in the weeks ahead.