Denmark urges constructive Greenland talks that protect sovereignty

Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, called for “constructive” talks over Greenland that respect its territorial integrity after US president Donald Trump said a deal was in sight to end the dispute. Frederiksen said on Thursday: “We can negotiate all political aspects – security, investment, the economy – but we cannot negotiate our sovereignty.” She said she had been informed that talks between Trump and Mark Rutte in Davos had not involved compromising the sovereignty of Denmark or Greenland, a largely self-governing territory of the Danish kingdom.

Denmark said it wants to continue dialogue on Arctic security, including the US Golden Dome missile-defence system, provided this is done with respect for territorial integrity. Trump abruptly backed away from threats to use tariffs as leverage and ruled out the use of force after weeks of escalating rhetoric.

He had earlier threatened a 10% tariff on imports from Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland. Rutte said he had a “very good discussion” with Trump about ensuring that China and Russia would not gain economic or military access to Greenland. Trump said the proposed deal was “a deal that everybody’s very happy with” but details remain scant.

European leaders welcomed de-escalation while urging caution.

Key Topics

World, Denmark, Greenland, Mette Frederiksen, Donald Trump, Nato