The Trump administration is set for high-stakes talks with Greenlandic and Danish officials on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump insisted that anything less than U.S. control of Greenland would be “unacceptable.”
Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt and Denmark’s Lars Lokke Rasmussen are expected to meet with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House to address the U.S. push to acquire the mineral-rich Arctic island.
Trump said on Truth Social, “The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security. It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building. NATO should be leading the way for us to get it,” adding, “NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES. Anything less than that is unacceptable.”
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen have voiced a united front against U.S. pressures, with Nielsen stating, “If the self-governing Danish territory must choose between the U.S. and Denmark, we choose Denmark.” European leaders including Macron, Merz, and Starmer have also backed Greenland, declaring, “Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.” Analysts warned of a potential diplomatic crisis, with Ian Lesser of GMF noting failure to resolve the issue “does not just threaten NATO cohesion, it threatens the future existence of the Alliance as we know it.”