LONDON — Denmark is open to discussions with the U.S. on find out how to “repair” the established order in Greenland, the nation’s overseas minister mentioned, after Vice President JD Vance accused Copenhagen of failing to adequately defend the Arctic island throughout a controversial go to on Friday.
In a submit to X addressed to Denmark’s “expensive American associates” late Friday, Danish Overseas Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen mentioned his nation agrees that the “established order” within the Arctic “just isn’t an choice.”
“So let’s discuss how we are able to repair it — collectively,” Rasmussen wrote.
In a video assertion, Rasmussen acknowledged the “many accusations and lots of allegations” about Greenland. “After all, we’re open to criticism, however let me be fully trustworthy — we don’t respect the tone by which it is being delivered.”
Vice President JD Vance speaks the U.S. army’s Pituffik House Base in Greenland, Mar. 28, 2025.
Jim Watson/Pool/AFP through Getty Pictures
“This isn’t the way you communicate to your shut allies,” Rasmussen continued, “and I nonetheless take into account Denmark and the US to be shut allies.”
Danish and Greenlandic leaders have pushed again on Trump’s need to achieve management of Greenland. They’ve concurrently criticized his perceived overreach whereas searching for to ease tensions by proposing deeper army and financial cooperation on the Arctic landmass.
“We respect that the US wants a larger army presence in Greenland, as Vice President Vance talked about this night. We — Denmark and Greenland — are very a lot open to discussing this with you,” Rasmussen mentioned in his assertion.
The prevailing bilateral protection settlement — signed in 1951 — “gives ample alternative for the US to have a a lot stronger army presence in Greenland,” Rasmussen mentioned. “If that’s what you would like, then allow us to focus on it.”
Conventional Greenlandic housing is seen from the Myggedalen viewpoint, March 28, 2025 in Nuuk, Greenland.
Leon Neal/Getty Pictures
President Donald Trump has repeatedly — each in his first time period and since returning to workplace for his second — expressed his ambition to take management of the island. Rasmussen’s attraction for dialogue got here shortly after Vance accomplished his go to to Greenland, which is an autonomous territory inside the Kingdom of Denmark.
Chatting with American service members on the U.S. Pituffik House Base on the northwestern coast of Greenland, Vance mentioned, “Nicely, the president mentioned we’ve to have Greenland. And I believe that we do need to be extra critical concerning the safety of Greenland.”
“We won’t simply ignore this place,” he continued. “We won’t simply ignore the president’s needs.”
Vance mentioned Trump’s administration “respects the self-determination of the folks of Greenland,” however instructed the island can be safer below the U.S. safety umbrella.
Greenland is already lined by the Article 5 collective protection clause that underpins NATO, of which each Denmark and the U.S. are members.
President Donald Trump speaks within the Oval Workplace throughout a swearing-in ceremony on the White Home, March 28, 2025 in Washington.
Saul Loeb/AFP through Getty Pictures
“Sure, the folks of Greenland are going to have self-determination,” Vance mentioned. “We hope that they select to companion with the US as a result of we’re the one nation on Earth that may respect their sovereignty and respect their safety — as a result of their safety could be very a lot our safety.”
Vance accused Denmark of failing to supply enough safety in opposition to “very aggressive incursions from Russia, from China and from different nations.”
“Our message to Denmark could be very easy: You haven’t accomplished a very good job by the folks of Greenland. You’ve underinvested within the folks of Greenland, and you’ve got underinvested within the safety structure of this unimaginable, lovely landmass stuffed with unimaginable folks. That has to vary,” he mentioned.
Rasmussen mentioned that each Denmark and the U.S. had accomplished too little within the Arctic because the finish of the Chilly Conflict. “All of us acted on the idea that the Arctic was and ought to be a low rigidity space, however that point is over,” he mentioned. “Established order just isn’t am choice.”
Trump has repeatedly expressed his ambition to accumulate Greenland, regardless of fierce criticism from leaders in Greenland, Denmark and Europe. There seems little assist amongst Greenlanders for his proposal. A January ballot by Verian, commissioned by the Danish paper Berlingske, confirmed that solely 6% of Greenlanders are in favor of changing into a part of the U.S., with 9% undecided.
Vice President JD Vance and Second Girl Usha Vance board Air Drive Two after touring the U.S. army’s Pituffik House Base in Greenland, March 28, 2025.
Jim Watson/POOL/AFP through Getty Pictures
The island sits in a strategic place going through the northern coast of Russia throughout the Arctic Ocean and shut to 2 delivery routes — the Northeast and Northwest passages. Greenland can be considered house to a considerable amount of worthwhile mineral deposits. Each the delivery routes and minerals are anticipated to turn out to be extra accessible because the warming local weather causes sea ice to recede additional.
“We’ve got to have Greenland. It isn’t a query of: Do you suppose we are able to do with out it? We won’t,” Trump mentioned within the Oval Workplace on Friday. “In case you take a look at Greenland proper now, in case you take a look at the waterways, you’ve gotten Chinese language and Russian ships everywhere, and we’re not going to have the ability to try this.”
“We’re not counting on Denmark or anyone else to care for that scenario,” he added. “And we’re not speaking about peace for the US.”
“Greenland’s crucial for the peace of the world — not us, the peace of the whole world,” the president mentioned. “And I believe Denmark understands it. I believe the European Union understands it. And if they do not, we will have to elucidate it to them.”
ABC Information’ Hannah Demissie, Molly Nagle and Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.
