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The US, Denmark and Greenland will set up a high-level group to discuss the future of the vast Arctic island but “fundamental disagreement” remains between the two sides, according to the Danish foreign minister.
Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he and Greenlandic colleague Vivian Motzfeldt had a “frank but constructive” discussion lasting more than an hour with US vice-president JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio at the White House on Wednesday.
But he added US President Donald Trump continued to insist on “conquering” Greenland, which was “totally unacceptable”.
The talks marked the first formal meeting between the US, Denmark and Greenland since Trump initially expressed the idea of buying the world’s largest island in 2019.
But they failed to bring a diplomatic breakthrough, with Rasmussen saying Denmark and Greenland had “red lines” they could not cross, although they were prepared to offer Washington the opportunity to open more bases on the Arctic island.
He added the high-level working group would hold its first meeting within a couple of weeks and would seek to find a compromise between the two positions. “I’m pleased that while we do not agree if it’s doable, it’s productive to start discussions at a high level,” Rasmussen said.
The meeting came as Denmark and several Nato allies, including Sweden and Norway, sent troops and equipment to Greenland to help boost Arctic security. Germany said it would send 13 reconnaissance troops to Greenland on Thursday while France said it would also participate without providing details.
Rasmussen said there was “an element of truth” in Trump’s comments on the need to increase Arctic defence in the face of rising Russian and Chinese interest in the polar region.
But he dismissed Trump’s comments about the presence of Chinese and Russian warships around Greenland as “not true”, saying it was at least a decade since a Chinese vessel had been present according to Danish intelligence.
Ahead of the meeting, the US president repeated his desire for Copenhagen to cede control of Greenland to him. “NATO should be leading the way for us to get it . . . NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES. Anything less than that is unacceptable,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump later on Wednesday said he had not been briefed on the talks with Danish and Greenlandic officials and added the US had a “very good” relationship with Denmark.
But he reiterated his desire to obtain the island. “There’s not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland,” he said. “I can’t rely on Denmark being able to defend themselves.”
Washington operates a single military base in Greenland but had 17 during the cold war. It has also cut its troop numbers from more than 10,000 to about 150 over the same period. Rasmussen said previous US administrations had stymied attempts to boost Arctic security in Nato.
Rasmussen said Denmark was increasing investment in fighter jets, ships and drones to help boost Greenland’s security. Copenhagen in October announced it would spend $4.2bn on two new military units, a joint Arctic command headquarters in Greenland’s capital of Nuuk, two ships, maritime patrol aircraft, drones and radar units.
Denmark and Greenland on Wednesday said the increased military presence on the island this year would involve aircraft, ships and soldiers — including from Nato allies. They added military exercises in 2026 could include guarding critical infrastructure, providing assistance to local authorities, receiving allied troops and deploying fighter aircraft and ships around the territory.
Copenhagen has received strong messages of support from most European members of Nato after its prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, warned a US invasion of Greenland would mean an end to the western military alliance.
Additional reporting by Amy Mackinnon