Greenland is at the center of a geopolitical hurricane as US President Donald Trump insists on acquiring the island – a demand residents of its capital Nuuk say is absolutely non-negotiable. Trump has asserted his desire to control Greenland at any cost, and the White House recently refused to rule out the use of military force to secure the territory.
US Vice President JD Vance meets with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt on Wednesday in Washington. The high-stakes talks involve the Arctic island, which remains a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, a vital US ally in NATO, according to Associated Press.
Ahead of the summit, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot condemned what he described as US “blackmail” over Greenland, marking a sharp increase in friction between Washington and its European partners.
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Greenland is strategically important
Greenland’s strategic value has soared as climate change thins polar ice and creates the potential for faster trade routes to Asia. This ecological shift also simplifies the mining and transportation of massive untapped deposits of critical minerals essential for modern technologies such as smartphones and computers.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told a news conference in the Danish capital Copenhagen on Tuesday: “If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU.”
Trump responded to Nielsen’s comments later Tuesday: “I don’t agree with him. I don’t know who he is. I don’t know anything about him. But this is going to be a big problem for him.”
Trump stated that he intended to use the island to bolster American security, specifically citing the presence of Russian and Chinese vessels as the primary justification for the inspection. Although Denmark has previously allowed the US to expand its existing bases in Greenland, it is still adamantly opposed to a full transfer of sovereignty.
On the eve of Wednesday’s meeting, Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s trade minister, called it “incomprehensible” that the US would discuss occupying the territory of a NATO ally. She called on the Trump administration to respect the autonomy of the Arctic people.
After the White House meeting, Løkke Rasmussen and Motzfeldt are to brief the Senate Arctic Committee.
Read also | Trump envoy: US defended Greenland during WWII, Denmark later ‘occupied’
Senator Angus King, Maine Independent, will host the discussion.
It follows moves by Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Lisa Murkowski to introduce bipartisan legislation to block the use of federal funds for any non-consensual annexation of a NATO member state’s territory. A separate congress delegation is expected in Copenhagen at the weekend.
Last week, major European allies joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a statement confirming that Greenland belongs exclusively to his people. Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced on Wednesday that France will open a consulate in Nuuk on February 6 to strengthen its diplomatic presence.
“To attack another NATO member would make no sense, it would even be against the interests of the United States. And I hear more and more voices in the United States saying that,” Barrot said. “So of course this blackmail has to stop.
