Don't want to be owned by US: Denmark, Greenland hit back at Trump's takeover claims

Copenhagen: Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland’s top diplomat Vivian Motzfeldt have confirmed that the United States has agreed to establish a joint working group to examine possible ways forward on Greenland.

They also acknowledged that concrete progress at this stage remains limited.

Rasmussen said talks at the White House with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were “frank but constructive”, but he firmly reiterated that a US takeover of Greenland is neither needed nor acceptable.

“We still have fundamental disagreement,” he noted, while underlining that discussions between Copenhagen, Nuuk and Washington will continue.

The Danish foreign minister stressed that Denmark stands ready to strengthen its security contributions to Greenland, but made it clear that any ideas undermining Danish sovereignty or Greenland’s right to self-determination are “totally unacceptable”.

He said Denmark’s position on these core principles remains unchanged.

Rejecting claims of a growing Chinese or Russian military footprint in Greenland, Rasmussen said there is no evidence of an immediate threat.

“According to our intelligence, we have not had a Chinese warship in Greenland for a decade or so,” he said, adding that “there is no instant threat from China and Russia that Denmark and Greenland cannot accommodate.”

Rasmussen also pushed back against criticism of Greenlandic dog sledges still being used by special forces, saying they remain extremely effective for mobility in harsh Arctic terrain.

US President Donald Trump has on several occasions questioned the relevance and usefulness of dog sledges in the region.

Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt said Nuuk remains keen to cooperate closely with the United States but is equally firm about preserving its independence.

“That does not mean we want to be owned by the United States,” she said, stressing that cooperation does not equate to surrendering control.

Calling for a reset in relations, Motzfeldt urged both sides to return to the “normalised relationship we used to have” and highlighted the importance of finding balance and working together as allies, particularly in the strategically sensitive Arctic region.

The comments come amid renewed remarks by President Donald Trump advocating US control over Greenland on national security grounds and in the context of strengthening NATO.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Anything less than US control is unacceptable… NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the United States.”

Responding to those statements, Rasmussen said the United States has no need to acquire Greenland and again dismissed suggestions of an urgent threat from Russia or China.

“Denmark is by all means on the right side of history,” he said, defending Copenhagen’s approach to Arctic security and cooperation.

Meanwhile, Denmark has already stepped up its military presence in Greenland over the past year.

Rasmussen said the Danish Defence Command has increased activity in the Arctic, including training deployments and maintaining a sustained presence through both routine missions and planned future operations.