‘Trump Wishes To Conquer Greenland’: Denmark Says Talks Failed To Shift US Position

Last Updated:January 15, 2026, 01:48 IST

Denmark said White House talks failed to shift the US position on Greenland, citing a “fundamental disagreement”.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt speak during a news conference at the Danish Embassy in Washington, DC. (IMAGE: AFP)

Denmark said talks with the United States failed to change President Donald Trump’s position on Greenland, with Copenhagen warning that Washington continues to harbour ambitions over the strategically located Arctic territory.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told reporters after meetings at the White House that it remained “clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland," underscoring what he described as a fundamental disagreement between the two sides.

Rasmussen, who met US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio alongside Greenland’s foreign minister, said Denmark had hoped to clear up what it viewed as misunderstandings following Trump’s repeated statements about taking control of Greenland. “We didn’t manage to change the American position," he said, adding that any move that failed to respect Denmark’s territorial integrity or the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination was “totally unacceptable".

Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, has long been of strategic interest to Washington, which maintains a military base on the island. Trump has argued that control of Greenland is vital for US security, including plans for a new missile defence system, and has insisted that NATO should back the American position.

Denmark has pushed back strongly, rejecting claims that rivals such as China pose an immediate naval threat in the region. Rasmussen said Danish intelligence had not detected any Chinese warships near Greenland for about a decade, dismissing suggestions used to justify a tougher US stance.

Despite the sharp disagreement, Rasmussen said dialogue would continue. He said both sides had agreed to establish a high-level working group to explore possible areas of cooperation and reduce tensions. “We still have fundamental disagreements, but we also agree to disagree," he said.

The dispute has strained transatlantic ties, with Denmark and Greenland repeatedly stressing that only Greenlanders can decide the island’s future. Denmark has also announced plans to further boost its military presence in the Arctic, even as it seeks to manage the fallout from Washington’s increasingly assertive posture on Greenland.

News world ‘Trump Wishes To Conquer Greenland’: Denmark Says Talks Failed To Shift US Position

Read More