On the request of the Danish and Greenlandic governments, the first diplomatic meeting about U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to take over Greenland was held yesterday, Jan. 14. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and aides represented the U.S., and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, and aides represented the Kingdom of Denmark.
The main message was that the meeting was held in a respectful tone. They agreed to disagree and to continue discussions. A high-level working group will be formed to see if there can be a way to achieve the security concerns of the U.S., while not crossing the Kingdom of Denmark’s red lines about maintaining the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark and the right to self-determination for Greenland.
The other point Rasmussen stressed was that he and Motzfeldt were able to oppose the narrative that the Chinese and Russians pose an imminent threat to Greenland, and that the Danish defense of Greenland is more than “two dog sled patrols,” detailing the current defense capabilities. Denmark and Greenland would very much like to speak to their ally the U.S. about how to beef up security, while respecting the Kingdom’s territorial integrity. Rasmussen pointed out that Denmark has the longest diplomatic relations with the U.S. of any country.
(Actually, NATO troops are having maneuvers in Greenland right now. The Swedish deployment has just arrived.)
Rasmussen said that the peace dividend led to the U.S. drastically reducing its military presence there, but now there is a new security situation, and Denmark has to react to that. He also claimed that Greenland and Denmark had prevented China’s Belt and Road Initiative from coming to Greenland some years ago.
The Danish commentators were happy that the foreign ministers were not met with a fixed ultimatum, but that there will finally be a forum for diplomatic discussions, rather than Trump’s threats issued on social media and while speaking to the press. But they are also aware that nothing is secure when dealing with Trump.
Yet, at the same time as the meeting was being held, the White House put out a meme showing two Greenland dog sleds, one going toward a sunny U.S., and the other toward a murky Russia and China.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Jan. 15 had a very different report. She said, “The two sides agreed to establish a working group of individuals who will continue to have technical talks on the acquisition of Greenland.... The President has made his priority quite clear. He wants the U.S to acquire Greenland. He thinks it’s in our best national security [interest] to do that.”
