US talks pose 'conundrum' for Greenland, Denmark: Analysts

[ad_1] LONDON -- U.S. officers are anticipated to fulfill with Danish and Greenlandic counterparts in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, amid President Donald Trump's continued expressions of intent to accumulate the semi-autonomous Arctic territory regardless of collective opposition in each Copenhagen and Nuuk.

Danish International Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenlandic International Minister Vivian Motzfeldt are set to guide the delegation to fulfill with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. Greenland is a self-governing territory throughout the Kingdom of Denmark.

In Denmark, "that is the massive nationwide information," Jonas Parello-Plesner, a Danish political analyst and former diplomat, advised ABC Information. "If within the first Trump interval the saying was, 'It's best to take him severely, however not actually,' I feel the saying this time round is, 'It's best to each take him severely and actually.'"

Trump first raised the prospect of buying the territory throughout his first time period, when Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen dismissed the thought as "absurd." Trump's second time period has seen the president converse extra aggressively in regards to the proposal.

"Even from a 12 months in the past, I see a fairly stark distinction in each Greenlandic and Danish attitudes that that is truly probably actually critical and life altering for the Kingdom of Denmark," stated Parello-Plesner, who's now the manager director on the Copenhagen-based nonprofit Alliance of Democracies Basis.

Danish troops participate in a navy drill in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, on Sept. 17, 2025.

Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters

Mikkel Runge Olesen, a senior researcher on the Danish Institute for Worldwide Research, advised ABC Information that the furor is prompting deeper questions amongst Danes and Greenlanders about their long-standing ties to the U.S.

"Is that this who the U.S. is now? A superpower going round, invading its small democratic allies?" he requested. "That is scary to consider."

"Simply consider what it's going to do for the American alliance system worldwide," he added. "What sort of sign it sends -- in the event you're allied with the U.S., you could be invaded each time it fits the U.S."

'You want possession' Trump has repeatedly steered that U.S. sovereignty over the world's largest island is critical to make sure American safety and blunt Chinese language and Russian affect within the Arctic area.

As part of the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenland is roofed by NATO's collective protection clause. Greenland hosts the U.S. Pituffik House Base and round 150 American troops, the U.S. having considerably downgraded its footprint from its excessive level in the course of the Chilly Conflict.

A 1951 protection settlement grants the U.S. navy entry to Greenland, and Danish politicians have repeatedly expressed willingness to work with Washington to increase the American and NATO presence there.

Danish officers have additionally sought to move off considerations in regards to the supposed vulnerability of the Arctic. Final 12 months, Copenhagen introduced a $6.5 billion Arctic protection package deal in response to U.S. criticism that it had did not adequately shield Greenland.

This file picture exhibits U.S. Vice President JD Vance touring the U.S. navy's Pituffik House Base in Greenland on March 28, 2025.

Jim Watson/through Reuters

However Trump and his administration seem undeterred. "Come what may, we'll have Greenland," the president advised reporters aboard Air Power One this weekend.

"If we do not take Greenland, Russia or China will and I am not letting that occur," Trump stated, earlier than deriding Denmark's navy power on the island.

"Mainly, their protection is 2 canine sleds," Trump stated. "Within the meantime, you may have Russian destroyers and submarines and China destroyers and submarines all over."

Requested if there was a deal to be finished to keep away from additional tensions, Trump stated he would "like to" as a result of "it could be simpler."

However when pressed, the president stated, "I may put quite a lot of troopers there proper now if I would like. However you want greater than that. You want possession."

Forward of this week's assembly, Danish and Greenlandic politicians issued statements once more rebuffing any suggestion of a U.S. acquisition of the island, statements which have been backed by different European leaders.

Folks stroll alongside a avenue in downtown of Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Picture/Evgeniy Maloletka)

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"If the USA decides to assault one other NATO nation, then every thing would cease -- that features NATO and due to this fact post-World Conflict II safety," Frederiksen stated in an announcement.

"Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland is a member of NATO by means of the Commonwealth and due to this fact the protection of Greenland is thru NATO," the federal government in Nuuk stated in an announcement.

On Wednesday, Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen posted a photograph to social media displaying a message despatched to him by Frederiksen.

"Greenland is not going to be owned by the USA," the message -- written in Greenlandic -- stated. "Greenland doesn't need to be dominated by the USA. Greenland doesn't need to be part of the USA. We would like Greenland to proceed to operate as a part of the Kingdom."

The leaders of all 5 political events holding seats in Greenland's parliament additionally launched a joint assertion. "We don't need to be Individuals, we don't need to be Danes, we need to be Greenlanders," they stated.

Earlier than heading to the U.S. on Tuesday, Rasmussen -- the Danish international minister -- advised reporters in Copenhagen, "Our motive for searching for the assembly we now have now been given was to maneuver this entire dialogue, which has not develop into much less tense since we final met, into a gathering room the place we will look one another within the eye and speak about this stuff."

Interesting to 'the deal-maker' Olesen, of the Danish Institute for Worldwide Research, stated Trump's most up-to-date feedback "ought to fear Danish politicians." His obvious dismissal of Copenhagen's efforts to bolster its Arctic readiness "implies that both he hasn't observed" or "he does not care. And both method, it is fairly unhealthy."

Trump advised The New York Occasions he believed U.S. possession of Greenland "is what I really feel is psychologically obligatory for fulfillment." That, too, is "problematic" for Copenhagen, Olesen stated. "How do you cope with that?" he requested.

"That is the conundrum for the Danish and the Greenlandic politicians," Olesen stated, "making an attempt to not provoke Trump an excessive amount of and making an attempt to offer him one thing."

"It will likely be tough to supply a compromise if all he desires is possession," he added.

Parello-Plesner, the previous Danish diplomat, stated the experiences of different nations throughout Trump's second time period could supply fashions.

A Greenland flag flies close to the flag of Denmark, March 11, 2025, in Ilulissat, Greenland.

Joe Raedle/Getty Pictures

Trump's concentrate on Panama and perceived Chinese language overreach produced a proposed deal for a U.S. agency to take management of two ports there owned by a Hong Kong conglomerate. The president described the deal as "reclaiming the Panama Canal."

José Raúl Mulino, the president of Panama, addressed Trump's feedback in regards to the Panama Canal in a publish on X final March, saying partly: "President Trump is mendacity once more. The Panama Canal shouldn't be within the strategy of being recovered, and this was actually not a subject of debate in our conversations with Secretary Rubio or anybody else. On behalf of Panama and all Panamanians, I reject this new affront to the reality and to our dignity as a nation."

In Ukraine, Kyiv alleviated U.S. stress by agreeing to a uncommon earth minerals sharing deal as a part of the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Funding Fund.

"There's additionally a really pragmatic facet to Trump -- the deal maker," Parello-Plesner stated. "I feel our facet wants to offer him one thing to work with," he added.

That would imply recent commitments on American navy deployments in Greenland, a deal associated to the territory's untapped mineral wealth or a pledge to do extra to dam autocratic states from asserting their Arctic ambitions, Parello-Plesner stated.

It's unclear what may attraction to the U.S. facet, he continued. "We have seen for 30 years that the U.S. has simply needed to chop down on the presence up there and solely makes use of it for restricted missile protection functions," he stated.

FILE - A aircraft carrying Donald Trump Jr. lands in Nuuk, Greenland, Jan. 7, 2025. (Emil Stach/Ritzau Scanpix through AP, file)

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Concerning Greenland's believed mineral wealth, Parello-Plesner stated the U.S. authorities and personal firms have been largely uninterested given the territory's inhospitable climate and terrain, extraction challenges and world market forces.

A symbolic win is perhaps sufficient to take the warmth out of Trump's push, Olesen stated.

"It is going to be attention-grabbing to see how far Danish and Greenlandic politicians really feel they will go with a view to keep away from being humiliated, with a view to keep away from handing over the Greenlandic underground to a bully," Olesen continued.

"However then once more, the stakes are so excessive, so I would not rule it out, and I would not rule out that if that is one thing that might clear up the disaster."

Within the meantime, each analysts stated Copenhagen and Nuuk are prone to concentrate on bolstering the picture of home unity, European solidarity, backing from the U.S. Congress and NATO-led Arctic safety.

"The Trump coverage line shouldn't be invulnerable," Olesen stated, noting pushback from U.S. voters and members of Congress -- together with distinguished Republicans.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Picture/Evan Vucci)

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"In some unspecified time in the future, Trump could resolve that it is not well worth the trouble anymore, and in that case, it could in all probability be clever to supply him some solution to save face and get out of it," he stated.

However months of backwards and forwards over Greenland have already finished important harm to transatlantic sentiment in Denmark, Parello-Plesner stated, in a rustic he stated has lengthy prided itself on broad assist for NATO and for shut relations with the U.S. Danish forces, for instance, sustained a comparable per capita casualty charge because the U.S. within the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan.