Denmark and the US reduce friction over Greenland

“It’s not that things have been resolved, but it’s positive because now we’re back to what we had in Washington exactly two weeks ago, after an important deviation occurred and the situation got worse. But now we’re moving on with the talks,” Rasmussen told the press upon arriving for a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the European Union (EU).

The head of Danish diplomacy referred to a high-level meeting held the day before in the American capital “on the Atlantic issue”, which “took place in a very constructive atmosphere and tone”, and confirmed that new meetings had been scheduled.

“As I have said on numerous occasions, we share US security concerns regarding the Atlantic,” he reiterated, highlighting that this is an issue they want to “resolve in close collaboration.”

Thus, he noted that, for now, it was not possible to reach any conclusion, but emphasized that today he feels “a little more optimistic than a week ago”.

Last week, a “milestone” was established with the USA on Greenland, but not yet an agreement itself, as this must be negotiated with the Danish authorities and the government of the semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, agreed last week in Washington – in a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance – to create a joint working group to study US security concerns without going beyond the red lines of Danish sovereignty and the decision-making rights of the island’s almost 57,000 inhabitants.