Greenland and Denmark on Wednesday said they would beef up their military presence around the Arctic island, after President Donald Trump reiterated that he wanted the US to take control of the territory.
The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland, which has been part of the Danish realm for centuries, met US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. Mr Trump earlier said anything other than a US takeover would be “unacceptable”.
“The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of national security,” he wrote on Truth Social, claiming the world's largest island is vital for America's planned Golden Dome missile defence system. He again alleged Russia or China would try to take control of Greenland if the US does not. Neither country has directly threatened to do so.
In a separate post referencing China and Russia, Mr Trump wrote: “Nato: Tell Denmark to get them out of here, NOW! Two dogsleds won’t do it! Only the USA can!!!”
Greenland and Denmark have repeatedly said the island is not for sale and warned US annexation of the territory could spell the end of Nato. The western military alliance is already responsible for defending Greenland, so a US move would essentially amount to an intra-Nato assault.
The White House has refused to rule out using military force to seize the mineral-rich island.
Before Wednesday's meeting at the White House, Greenland and Denmark said they had set about stepping up military presence in and around Greenland in close co-operation with Nato allies.
The Danish Defence Ministry said a range of joint military drills would be conducted throughout the year as part of the preparation.
Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, face a tough reception from Mr Vance and Mr Rubio as they attempt to de-escalate the situation and find a diplomatic path to satisfy US demands for more control.
Noa Redington, an analyst and former political adviser to previous Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, told Reuters that concerns are high in Denmark and Greenland that the foreign ministers could be treated in the same way as Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, when he was humiliated by Mr Trump and Mr Vance at the White House last February.
“This is the most important meeting in modern Greenland's history,” Mr Redington said.
US citizens oppose annexation
Greenlandic leaders appear to be shifting their approach to how they are handling the diplomatic situation. They had been promoting the island's path to independence but now their public statements put more emphasis on unity with Denmark.
“It's not the time to gamble with our right to self-determination, when another country is talking about taking us over,” Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told the island's daily Sermitsiaq newspaper in an interview published on Wednesday.
“That doesn't mean that we don't want something in the future. But here and now we are part of the kingdom and we stand with the kingdom. That's crucial in this serious situation."
Mr Trump's desire for Greenland contrasts with Americans' opposition to annexation of the Arctic island, a new poll has found.
Only 17 per cent of US citizens surveyed approve of Mr Trump's efforts to acquire Greenland, and substantial majorities of Democrats and Republicans oppose using military force to annex the island, the Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
Meanwhile, European allies reiterated their backing for Denmark and Greenland ahead of the White House meeting, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying on Wednesday Greenlanders could “count on us”.
