A high-stakes White House meeting over the future of Greenland ended Wednesday with no change in the stance of either Denmark or the U.S. Denmark’s foreign minister said the two countries still have a “fundamental disagreement” over the semiautonomous island.
“Our perspectives continue to differ,” Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said after meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “The president has made his view clear. And we have a different position.”
Hours before the meeting, President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that the U.S. “needs Greenland” and “anything less than” American control would be “unacceptable.” He also claimed that if the island doesn’t come under American control, China or Russia will take possession because NATO lacks the military strength to prevent it.
“NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES,” Trump wrote.
Neither Vance nor Rubio commented after meeting with Rasmussen. However, officials from both countries said a working group will meet in the coming days to discuss Trump’s security concerns. The U.S. already operates one military base in Greenland, and officials in Denmark, which controls the island, have suggested they would be amenable to a larger U.S. presence.
Wednesday’s meeting took place amid rising tensions over Trump’s desire to take control of Greenland. He has hinted at the possibility of military action, especially after a successful mission to capture Venezuela’s leader on Jan. 3. Last week, Trump said he was “going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not.”
A message before Washington meetup
On Tuesday, Greenland’s prime minister flatly rejected Trump’s overtures.
“If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark,” Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a joint news conference in Copenhagen with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
“We come together, we stay together and we leave together,” she said, referring to Wednesday’s White House talks.
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Denmark was one of the original 12 nations that established NATO after World War II, moving away from its traditional neutrality.
‘Not for sale’ means not for sale
Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Copenhagen doesn’t have the legal authority to sell it, and Greenland’s elected leadership has repeatedly said the territory doesn’t want to be owned or governed by the United States.
Nielsen reinforced that point Tuesday, saying Greenland chooses Denmark, NATO, and Europe.
Trump first floated the idea of acquiring Greenland during his first term in 2019. The renewed pressure follows a string of aggressive foreign policy moves by the administration, including a U.S. military operation in Venezuela earlier this month.
Stakes rising for allies
Vance’s presence at Wednesday’s meeting has raised concern in Denmark and across Europe.
Analysts tell The New York Times it signals the White House is taking the issue seriously and is willing to escalate its posture.
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Denmark remains one of the United States’ closest NATO allies, a relationship Frederiksen acknowledged has come under strain. She described recent U.S. pressure as unacceptable, even as she emphasized the need to keep dialogue open.
Members of Congress from both parties have pushed back on any suggestion of military action against Greenland. Several lawmakers have introduced legislation aimed at blocking the use of force against NATO partners.
