Denmark is sending soldiers to the island while US President Trump continues to insist on annexation. There is a meeting in Washington on Wednesday.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt were finally allowed into the lion’s den on Wednesday afternoon. They met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance – but only after Donald Trump and his supporters had spoken in increasingly shrill tones about Greenland and Denmark for almost two weeks without speaking to them.
The attacks from the White House have so far remained verbal, but the threat that the USA could take the Arctic island by force if necessary is causing tension – and not just in Greenland. Just an hour before the meeting was scheduled to begin in Washington, the Danish Defense Ministry confirmed a report from Danish Radio: The kingdom is in the process of sending soldiers to Greenland.
“From today on there will be an increased military presence in and around Greenland,” said Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen. This is done “in close cooperation with NATO allies”. It’s about ships, aircraft and soldiers that are supposed to train under Arctic conditions. They also want to strengthen the alliance’s presence – for transatlantic and European security. Details regarding implementation will be clarified in the coming weeks.
US President Donald Trump reiterated on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday what he has been repeating for weeks: Greenland must become part of the USA. Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen in Nuuk opposes this. Since the beginning of the escalation, he has emphasized that the Greenlandic people alone decide their future. Finally, he made it clear: If his country had to choose between the USA and Denmark here and now, it would choose Denmark, NATO and the EU. “Then he’ll have a problem,” commented Trump, who is increasingly isolating the United States with his claim to “own” Greenland.
After the military operation in Venezuela The US government suddenly made it clear again that Greenland’s right to self-determination played no role in its geopolitical plans. Greenland’s affiliation with the Kingdom of Denmark is also repeatedly questioned by the USA.
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