"Fundamental differences" with Trump: how the US Greenland talks ended
Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Vivian Motzfeldt (Photo: SHAWN THEW/EPA)

With the president of the United States Donald Trump, a "fundamental differences" remain over Greenland, a self-governing island within Denmark. This was stated by foreign minister of the latter, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, after talks with his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt and vice president J.D. Vance and the secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, DC, Associated Press reports.

At the same time, the two sides agreed to set up a working group to discuss ways to overcome the differences, as Trump continues to call for the American takeover of Greenland.

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"The group, in our view, should focus on how to address the American security concerns, while at the same time respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark," Rasmussen said.

AP indicates that the meeting lasted about an hour and that the White House did not respond to a request for comment.

The Danish FM also noted that "clear that the president [Trump] has this wish of conquering over Greenland."

"And we've made it very, very clear that this is not in the interest of the kingdom," the official said, mentioning a "fundamental disagreement" with the Trump administration but declaring his willingness to continue negotiations.

The heads of diplomacy of Denmark and Greenland also expressed cautious optimism that these talks would be the beginning of a dialogue that would lead the US president to abandon his demand for the island and open the way to closer cooperation with the United States.

"We have shown where our boundaries are, and from now on, I think it will be very good to look forward," said the Greenlandic FM.

Later, during an event at the White House, Trump reported that he would be informed about the talks with Denmark and Greenland. He also said that he was not talking about a potential seizure of Greenland by force, adding, "You don't know what I'm going to do."

In addition, the US president claimed that Denmark would not be able to defend Greenland if Russia or China wanted to occupy the island, while the America would be able to do so.

"I cannot rely on Denmark to defend itself," the US leader added.

It should be noted that both Denmark and the United States are members of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO), which operates the principle of collective defense.

  • Minister of Defense of Denmark reported that his country is going to increase its military presence in Greenland and is in constant dialogue with NATO allies.
  • Prime minister of Sweden said that officers from his country and other NATO allies are arriving in Greenland to prepare for future phases of the Danish exercise.