The Danish Foreign Minister described it afterwards on Wednesday evening as “open but constructive”. In a high-level working group there should be dialogue about the problem that exists without Trump’s Greenland greed would not exist, be continued.
Løkke Rasmussen spoke of what he achieved together with his Greenlandic ministerial colleague Motzfeldt in Washington with some satisfaction, but by no means enthusiasm. The US ultimately stands by its claim to Greenland, with Trump and his “I want it!” attitude at the helm.
It was not expected that a conversation in Washington would change anything. All rational arguments against the US request have long been known and have been repeated many times – both by Denmark and Greenland as well as by their allies such as their Nordic neighbors, the EU and large NATO countries. Why is it that the USA is so incredibly stubborn – what is the point of Greenland?
An expert from the University of Roskilde explains that the icy island is historically and currently sought after primarily because of its location between the USA, Europe and Russia: “In purely geographical terms, Greenland was right in the middle of some of the biggest events in world history on several occasions,” said historian Rasmus Dahlberg to Danish radio DR.
Historical significance of the island
Example of World War II: The island was important for the Allies in the fight against Germany, especially for the stopover of US fighter planes. Making a treaty with Denmark, which was occupied by Germany, for the establishment of military bases was only possible indirectly. The USA negotiated with the Danish diplomat Henrik Kauffmann in Washington – they were allowed to build their military bases if they defend Greenland and provide for the people there for as long as Denmark is occupied.
This resulted in the currently much-cited defense agreement of 1951 between the Kingdom of Denmark and the USA, which is still valid today – the USA could increase its military presence in the Arctic, which has been steadily reduced for a long time, even without “owning” Greenland. One of the arguments that no one in the White House wants to hear right now.
225 years of uninterrupted diplomatic relations between the US and Denmark: Løkke Rasmussen made sure to emphasize this on Wednesday when he got the opportunity to do so on US broadcaster Fox News. The Danish Foreign Minister was invited to the Trump fan station for an interview after the big meeting in Washington. Opportunity for television diplomacy.
In the Fox interview, Løkke Rasmussen also said: In 2026 you can trade people, but you can’t buy people. Since 2019, Trump has talked about wanting to buy Greenland – and he wasn’t the first American to do so. However, the USA’s other attempts were a while ago – in 1867, 1910 and 1946 the answer from Denmark was: “Greenland is not for sale.”
Die territorial purchasing desire of the USA has flourished again under Trump as if nothing had happened – but the role of Greenland and its people is no longer the same as it was in previous attempts.
Dark colonial history
The island has no longer been a colony since 1953 and has been a self-governing country in the Kingdom of Denmark since 2009 with the (long-term) goal of an independent future. Greenlandic politicians are negotiating – and for some that’s still not enough; they want to negotiate their future all on their own.
Despite the long, dark colonial history with Denmark, which to this day creates a complicated relationship between the countries, Prime Minister Jens-Fredrik Nielsen is not the only one to emphasize: right now, the countries have to stand together.
The biggest question for Greenland is how it can function economically as an independent country. The great natural resources were seen by some as a great hope, are difficult to access – and at the same time are internationally sought after.