Senior officials from Denmark and Greenland are set to meet U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump continues to push the idea of the United States taking control of Greenland. Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said Greenland would choose Denmark over the United States and said Greenland does not want to be owned, governed, or become part of the United States.
The talks come as tensions rise between Washington, Copenhagen, and Nuuk following Trump’s renewed takeover threats, including statements that the U.S. would take Greenland “one way or the other.” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Denmark has faced “completely unacceptable pressure from our closest ally,” while also warning that the toughest period may still be ahead.
White House meeting draws global focus
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, are expected to sit down with Vance and Rubio in Washington on Wednesday. Rasmussen said the purpose is to move the dispute into a setting where the sides can speak directly and “look each other in the eye” while discussing the issues.
Leaders in Denmark and Greenland have publicly presented a united stance as Trump’s statements keep the question of Greenland’s future in the spotlight. CNBC reported the meeting is seen as a high-stakes moment for U.S.-European relations as the rhetoric around Greenland continues.
Greenland says it chooses Denmark
At a press conference, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said Greenland is facing a geopolitical crisis and that if forced to choose between the United States and Denmark “here and now,” Greenland would choose Denmark. Nielsen also said Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States, governed by the United States, or be part of the United States.
Frederiksen spoke alongside Nielsen and described the pressure from the United States as unacceptable, even as she called for stronger cooperation with the U.S. and NATO to improve Arctic security. Euronews reported Frederiksen has warned that a U.S. takeover of Greenland would mark the end of NATO.
Why Greenland matters in the dispute
Greenland’s location is described as strategically important, including being on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States, and it is described as a crucial part of the U.S. anti-missile shield. Trump has argued that the United States needs to “take Greenland,” claiming that otherwise Russia or China would do so.
Le Monde reported Washington has accused Copenhagen of doing too little to protect Greenland from what the U.S. sees as a growing Arctic threat from Russia and China, while also noting analysts suggest China is a small player in the region. Denmark’s government has rejected U.S. claims and said it has invested almost 90 billion kroner ($14 billion) to increase its military presence in the Arctic.
What Denmark and Greenland say the talks are for
For Nuuk and Copenhagen, the White House meeting is described as an effort to address “misunderstandings,” including Greenland’s defense, Chinese and Russian military presence in the Arctic, and the relationship between Greenland and Copenhagen within the Kingdom of Denmark. Denmark’s foreign minister said the aim is to bring the discussion into a meeting room and talk through the issues directly.
Le Monde also reported that in March 2025, Vance made an uninvited visit to Greenland where he criticized Denmark’s commitment to Greenland and Arctic security and called Denmark a “bad ally,” and it said those comments angered Copenhagen. In parallel, Euronews reported Greenland’s political leaders have reiterated that Greenland’s future must be decided by its people and that they want what Euronews described as U.S. “contempt” for Greenland to end.
NATO and new security ideas
Diplomats at NATO have floated the idea of a new mission in the Arctic, though Le Monde reported there were no concrete proposals on the table. Greenland’s foreign minister and Denmark’s Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen are expected to meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on January 19 to discuss the issue, and Rutte has said NATO is working on “the next steps” to bolster Arctic security.
Troels Lund Poulsen said Denmark is moving toward a more permanent and larger defense presence in Greenland, including participation from other countries. Euronews also reported that NATO and Greenland’s government intend to work on strengthening defense of the semi-autonomous territory.
U.S. lawmakers propose a NATO-focused bill
TRT World reported that Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski introduced the NATO Unity Protection Act, describing it as legislation that would block the U.S. from occupying or seizing the territories of NATO allies amid Trump’s repeated statements about acquiring Greenland.
TRT World said the bill would prohibit the use of Pentagon or State Department funds to blockade, occupy, annex, carry out military operations against, or otherwise assert control over the sovereign territory of a NATO member state without that state’s consent.
Shaheen said any suggestion that the U.S. might use its power to seize or control the territory of a NATO ally would undermine the alliance, and Murkowski said the notion of using U.S. resources against allies is deeply troubling and should be rejected by Congress in statute. TRT World also reported Trump has described owning Greenland as an “absolute necessity” for U.S. economic security and likened it to a “large real estate deal,” while also noting Denmark and Greenland have rejected proposals to sell the territory.
