WASHINGTON & NUUK — The Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers plan to tell Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a White House meeting on Wednesday that Greenland is not for sale and will remain under Danish governance, according to officials familiar with the planned discussions.
The meeting comes after days of threats by President Donald Trump to use military force to seize the autonomous Danish territory — comments that have rattled America’s European allies and prompted discussions within NATO and the European Union about potential responses.
NATO said it is discussing “next steps” to maintain security in the Arctic, while European Union countries are considering invoking the mutual defense clause of the EU treaty — ostensibly as a response to Russian and Chinese threats in the Arctic, according to a European diplomat who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations.
Known as Article 42.7, the clause states that “if a Member State is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other Member States shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power.”
Denmark would have to request the additional support, allowing EU member states to deploy additional troops to the region. Countries would then decide whether to send troops on a voluntary basis making this option especially appealing.
Danish and Greenlandic officials plan to make clear to Vance and Rubio that Greenland is not for sale under any circumstances. It remains unclear how the Trump administration intends to pursue its stated interest in acquiring the territory.
Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana, whom Trump appointed as special envoy to Greenland, has not contacted Danish or Greenlandic officials about his role or U.S. relations with the Arctic island, according to a person familiar with diplomatic contacts between the countries.
When asked whether NATO would commit to defending Greenland if the United States attempted to occupy it, a spokesman for the 32-nation alliance said Secretary General Mark Rutte would not go beyond remarks he made at a news conference on Monday.
“We are really working together here,” Rutte said when asked about Trump’s threats to Greenland. “And my only worry is: How do we stay safe, against the Russians, against any other adversary? Look at what China is doing in rapidly building up its own armed forces, but also North Koreans and others who might wish us ill — not well, at least. And therefore, that’s my role, and I think we will get there.”
Asked about the potential “Arctic Sentry” mission led by the UK and Germany to increase European military presence on Greenland and monitor threats in the region, Rutte did not confirm or endorse the plan, but rather, reiterated the importance of working together to ensure the safety of the Arctic.
In response to Trump’s Greenland threats, the Danish prime minister has offered greater coordination with the U.S. military. The government has repeatedly made clear that a more sizable U.S. military presence would be welcome in coordination with Denmark and NATO, offering the U.S. to increase its military installations beyond the sole air base currently in place.
The U.S. signed a joint defense agreement with Greenland in 1951 that already provides the U.S. the ability to defend the Arctic region with its NATO partner, Denmark. A Trump administration official familiar with the deliberations over Greenland told MS NOW in early January that the use of military action would cause NATO to crumble, questioning the seriousness of which the president intends to actually forcefully seize the land. “It just seems hard to imagine. It seems silly,” the official said. “It renders NATO obsolete at that point. That’s brinksmanship that doesn’t make the bigger alliance make any more sense.” Greenland’s Premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen called the situation “very, very serious,” noting the “massive pressure” geopolitical interests have put on his country. “We face a geopolitical crisis,” he said. “And if we have to choose between the USA and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark.” Trump told reporters on Tuesday night that he disagrees. “Don’t know anything about him, but that’s going to be a big problem for him,” the president said.
Ines de La Cuetara is a London-based reporter for MS NOW.
Vaughn Hillyard is a senior White House reporter for MS NOW.
Julia Jester covers politics for MS NOW and is based in Washington, D.C. Recommended
