Faced with threats from Donald Trump, Denmark will “strengthen its military presence in Greenland”

Denmark will “strengthen its military presence” in Greenland and is conducting a “continuous dialogue” with NATO to strengthen the Alliance’s presence in the Arctic, the Danish Minister of Defense said on Wednesday, in reaction to American criticism.

“We will continue to strengthen our military presence in Greenland, but we will also insist within NATO on more exercises and an increased NATO presence in the Arctic,” Troels Lund Poulsen wrote in a statement a few hours before a meeting between Greenlandic, Danish and American officials at the White House on the future of the autonomous Danish territory.

Resolve “certain misunderstandings” during the meeting

The heads of Danish and Greenlandic diplomacy are heading to the White House on Wednesday for a high-tension meeting aimed at defusing the crisis around Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory which Donald Trump claims he wants to seize.

Since his return to power almost a year ago, the American president has regularly raised the possibility of taking control of this immense Arctic island, strategic but sparsely populated.

Donald Trump has heightened Danish and Greenlandic concerns in recent days, declaring on Sunday that he would seize the autonomous Danish territory “one way or another.” The Republican billionaire says the United States needs Greenland to contain advances by Russia and China in the Arctic.

The Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt had requested a meeting with the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. The meeting will ultimately take place at the White House, with Vice President JD Vance having requested to participate.

The latter had made very harsh remarks against Copenhagen during a visit to Greenland in the spring, where he had not been invited. He criticized the weakness of the Danish commitment to Greenland and Arctic security, describing Denmark as a “bad ally”.

Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he hoped to clear up “certain misunderstandings” during the meeting, while Denmark and Greenland reject any idea of ​​the island being attached to the United States.