Envoys reject U.S. vow to seize Greenland, but plan further talks

WASHINGTON— Top Danish diplomats met with White House officials on Wednesday to talk about President Trump’s repeated threats to seize control of Greenland and came away with the understanding that the United States and Denmark have a “fundamental disagreement” over the future of the Arctic region.

Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters that the closed-door meeting with Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio was “frank but also constructive” and that he was hopeful that allied governments could find a “common way forward” in the near future.

“For us, ideas that do not respect the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination are, of course, completely unacceptable,” Lokke Rasmussen said. “So we still have a fundamental disagreement, but we also agree to disagree.”

Hours before the meeting, Trump he said in a social media post. that “the United States needs Greenland” for national security purposes and that “anything less” than seizing Danish territory would be “unacceptable.” Otherwise, the president argued, China or Russia would annex the area because they felt Danish officials were not doing enough to protect the island.

As Vance and Rubio met with Danish officials, the White House shared the following: a cartoon on social media This image depicts two dog sleds with a Greenlandic flag behind them and facing two paths: a sunny day at the White House or a stormy scenario with Chinese and Russian flags. The picture did not show a road with Denmark.

Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, told reporters after the meeting that the island wanted to strengthen its ties with the United States. But he argued: “That doesn’t mean we want to be owned by the United States.”

The meeting was the first time senior officials from the three governments met to discuss Trump’s threats to seize Greenland, and also included Denmark and allied countries. announced that they would increase their military presence In and around the Arctic region.

After the meeting, Lokke Rasmussen said that a high-level working group would be established and meet in a few weeks to “explore whether we can find a common way forward” on security, demanding that the United States respect Greenland’s sovereignty.

“I don’t know if it’s doable, but hopefully it will bring the temperatures down,” he said.

A few hours after the closed-door meeting, Trump told reporters he had not yet been briefed on the discussions, but reiterated that “we need Greenland for national security.”

The president has long talked about making Greenland part of the United States, but his threats increased in the days following the US military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. For example, Trump warned last week that his administration would “do something in Greenland whether he likes it or not.”

“If we don’t do it the easy way, we’ll do it the hard way,” Trump said at a White House event on Friday.

European and Danish leaders have repeatedly opposed the president’s plans to seize the semi-autonomous region, warning that such a move would threaten to tear apart the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Trump said Wednesday that one reason he wants to buy Greenland is to build the Golden Dome missile defense system. He said that NATO would be much stronger and more effective if Greenland was in the hands of the USA.

On Tuesday, Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, and his Danish counterpart, Mette Frederiksen, spoke out against the president’s plans.

“If we have to choose here and now between the United States and Denmark, we will choose Denmark,” Nielsen said at a press conference in Copenhagen.

Asked about Nielsen’s comments, Trump said: “I don’t agree with him. … This is going to be a big problem for him.”

The president’s plans have also sparked opposition at home.

A growing number of GOP lawmakers in Washington have expressed dismay at the White House’s threat to use force to seize Greenland; let alone taking any military action against a US ally without congressional approval.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on Tuesday joined Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to introduce legislation that would prohibit the Defense and State departments from using funds to “blockade, occupy, annex or otherwise exert control” of the territory of any NATO member state.

In practice, the offer — Titled “Law to Preserve NATO Unity” – Will prevent Trump from taking over Greenland.

“This bipartisan legislation makes clear that U.S. taxpayer dollars cannot be used for actions that would disintegrate NATO and violate our commitments to NATO,” Shaheen said in a statement.

Murkowski said it was “deeply troubling” that the United States was trying to use its resources against its allies and that such actions “must be completely rejected by law by Congress.”

“What differentiates the United States from our competitors is our NATO alliances,” Murkowski said. “We have friends and allies who are willing to stand firmly with us as the strongest line of defense to prevent those who seek to undermine peace and stability from making major global advances.”

A similar bipartisan proposal that would prevent federal funds from being used to invade a NATO ally was introduced in the House on Wednesday.

“America is at its strongest when we honor our alliances and stand with our allies,” said Rep. Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat who co-sponsored the House measure.

Beyond diplomatic considerations, the president’s plans to purchase or seize Greenland are unpopular with voters.

While 9 in 10 registered voters oppose the United States trying to take Greenland by military force, only 9 percent are in favor. New survey from Quinnipiac University. Voters are also divided on the idea of ​​buying the territory; 55% of voters oppose, while 37% support the idea.