The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland will meet with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday, amid heightened diplomatic tensions following the president's remarks. Donald Trump regarding a possible takeover of the Arctic island. The announcement was made Tuesday by the Danish foreign minister.
The Danish minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt had requested this meeting after Donald Trump recently reiterated and hardened his remarks on Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. The American president had already raised the idea of acquiring Greenland in 2019, during his first term, a proposal that then sparked widespread opposition, including in the United States.
According to Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the meeting will be held at the White House at the initiative of the US Vice President, who expressed his desire to participate. The Danish minister explained that he wanted to continue the discussions "in person" in order to directly address the issues raised by the American statements and the strategic situation in the Arctic.
Greenland, although governed for centuries by Denmark, enjoys a large degree of autonomy and has been moving progressively towards independence since 1979. This objective is now a consensus among all parties represented in the Greenlandic parliament, even though Copenhagen retains major prerogatives, particularly in matters of defense and foreign policy.
In parallel with discussions with Washington, Denmark is seeking to mobilize its allies. The Danish Minister of Defense, Troels Lund Poulsenannounced that he would participate next week in a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to discuss security in the Arctic, alongside the Greenlandic Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Copenhagen also plans to strengthen its military presence in Greenland and involve other NATO countries in exercises and training in 2026. The Danish government says it wants to draw more attention from the Atlantic Alliance to the growing importance of the Arctic, which has become a central area of geopolitical rivalries between major powers.
