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Danish official says 'fundamental disagreement' with Trump over Greenland
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Danish Foreign Minister Lokke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister to discuss Greenland
A senior Danish official on Wednesday reportedly said that a “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland remains with President Donald Trump after talks in Washington with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The two sides agreed to form a working group to discuss ways to work through differences as Trump continues to call for a US takeover of Denmark’s Arctic territory of Greenland, Associated Press reported.
“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,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters after
His statement came after a highly anticipated meeting in which Greenland’s foreign minister also participated.
US President Trump is trying to make the case that NATO should help in US efforts to acquire the world's largest island. He earlier also said that anything less than it being under American control is unacceptable.
As the US justifies its calls for a takeover, Denmark has announced plans to boost the country's military presence in the Arctic and North Atlantic, the report said.
Vice President JD Vance and Rubio met with Lokke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt for roughly an hour to discuss Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark.
But a few hours before the officials sat down, Trump reiterated on his social media site that the US “needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security.” He added that “NATO should be leading the way for us to get it” and that otherwise Russia or China would, "And that is not going to happen.”
In response, Greenland's representatives to the U.S. and Canada posted on social media, “Why don't you ask us?” and noted the low percentage of island residents who favour becoming part of the US.
Danish official says US wish to “conquer Greenland”
It is "absolutely not necessary" for the United States to seize Greenland, Lokke said. “We didn't manage to change the American position,” he was quoted as saying. Danish Foreign Minister also said that this makes it clear that “the president has this wish of conquering Greenland. And we made it very, very clear that this is not in the interest of the kingdom.”
(With inputs from AP)
