Danish Foreign Minister urges Trump to keep his hands off Greenland. He mentioned NATO

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said that his country would not agree to the US President's demand Donald Trump to hand over Greenland and summoned the American ambassador for an explanation. His words are quoted by agency Bloomberg.

The Danish foreign minister spoke with US Ambassador to Copenhagen Kenneth Howery after Trump announced plans to appoint Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, an autonomous territory under Danish rule, with a view to its incorporation into the United States.

"The meeting served to say no and to draw a clear red line, but of course also just to ask for an explanation," Lokke said in an interview with local TV2 late on Monday.

"An attack on one part of the kingdom is an attack on the whole kingdom," he said.

Trump floated the idea of buying Greenland during his first term in 2019, but since returning to power in January, he has stepped up his efforts to gain control of the world's largest island. At a briefing late on Monday, he said he wanted Greenland not for its energy or mineral reserves, but because Denmark has not allocated enough funds to protect the island.

In an interview with TV2, Løkke emphasized that Greenland is protected by the US commitment to NATO, and the Danish government is calling on the allies to pay more attention to the Arctic region. Denmark and the United States are already bound by a 1951 defense agreement that allows Washington to operate military facilities in Greenland.

Greenland is home to a U.S. space base that monitors space activity and provides warnings of missile attacks. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has made it clear that she is open to a wider US presence.

• December 23, 2024, Trump said about the need for the United States to control Greenland.
• On January 7, 2025, he said that Denmark should cede Greenland to the United States and did not rule out military coercion to do so. On March 30, he again did not reject use of military force to take control of Greenland.
• December 21, Trump appointed an envoy in Greenland, which caused a new wave of criticism from Denmark.