Denmark and Greenland are seeking a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, hoping to calm tensions between the two countries after the Trump administration doubled down on its intention to take over the Danish territory.
Despite the rhetoric, The Wall Street Journal
that Rubio told congressional lawmakers during a closed-door briefing Monday that Trump’s goal is to buy the island from Denmark rather than take it by force.
Here’s the latest as tensions escalate:
Trump ‘not the first U.S. president that has examined how we could acquire Greenland,’ Rubio says
Marco Rubio in remarks to reporters on Wednesday stated that acquiring Greenland had always been Trump’s intent since his first term.
“That’s always been the president’s intent from the very beginning,” Rubio told reporters on Capitol Hill where he was to address Senate and the House, The Associated Press reports. “He’s not the first U.S. president that has examined or looked at how we could acquire Greenland.”
Trump’s aspirations to obtain Greenland date back to his first presidency. In 2019, he offered (unsuccessfully) to buy the world’s largest island from Denmark. The Danish government responded by pledging to upgrade military spending in Greenland to the tune of 1.5 billion Danish crowns (roughly $320 million) for surveillance.
Denmark wants to discuss ‘U.S.’s strong statements on Greenland’
“Naalakkersuisut (Greenland’s official name) and the Danish government have approached the U.S. Department of State with a request for an immediate ministerial meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Naalakkersuisut’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Research Vivian Motzfeldt and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen,” the government of Greenland
. “The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the U.S.’s strong statements on Greenland.”
The statement added: “It has not previously been possible for U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to meet with Naalakkersuisut. This is despite the fact that Naalakkersuisut and the Danish government have continuously requested a meeting at foreign ministerial level in 2025.”
Lars-Christian Brask, vice-chairman of the Danish foreign policy committee, stressed the importance of the meeting to Bloomberg TV in an interview.
“The next two weeks, they’re critical,” Brask told the outlet. “But let’s get the meeting with the three foreign ministers together, clear up the misunderstandings, try to understand what it is everybody wants to achieve, and then I’m sure we are more informed and there’s less misinformation after that meeting.”
The White House said on Tuesday that U.S. President Trump is weighing using the U.S. military to acquire the Danish territory of Greenland.
“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
Rubio confirmed Wednesday that he will meet the Danish officials next week.
Trump casts doubt on NATO’s usefulness
Trump levelled fresh criticism at NATO on Wednesday, days after the Danish Prime Minister had said his desired takeover of Greenland would mean the end of the military alliance.
“Remember, for all of those big NATO fans, they were at 2% GDP, and most weren’t paying their bills, UNTIL I CAME ALONG,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday morning. “The USA was, foolishly, paying for them!”
He added in all caps: “RUSSIA AND CHINA HAVE ZERO FEAR OF NATO WITHOUT THE UNITED STATES, AND I DOUBT NATO WOULD BE THERE FOR US IF WE REALLY NEEDED THEM. EVERYONE IS LUCKY THAT I REBUILT OUR MILITARY IN MY FIRST TERM, AND CONTINUE TO DO SO.” He continued: “We will always be there for NATO, even if they won’t be there for us.”
On Monday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster TV2: “If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops. That is, including our NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War.”
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