Denmark to strengthen Greenland defence as US eyes takeover

Criticised by the US for having neglected the defence of Greenland, Denmark's defence minister said on Wednesday that it would "strengthen" its military presence in the Arctic territory and was in dialogue with allies in NATO.

"We will continue to strengthen our military presence in Greenland, but we will also have an even greater focus within NATO on more exercises and an increased NATO presence in the Arctic," said Troels Lund Poulsen, hours before a meeting between Greenlandic, Danish and US officials at the White House on the future of the autonomous Danish territory.

Lund Poulsen added that Denmark "has an ongoing dialogue with its Allies about new and increased activities in 2026."

The Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers will also meet with US Vice President JD Vance at the White House on Wednesday, following weeks of threats by President Donald Trump to take control of Greenland.

Trump has said the strategically located and mineral-rich island is vital to US security, and Washington must own it to prevent Russia or China from occupying it, even though there is no evidence that Moscow or Beijing have any such intentions.

Greenland and Denmark say the island is not for sale, threats of force are reckless, and security concerns should be resolved among allies.

Prominent EU countries have backed Denmark.

Greenland chooses to remain ‘part of Denmark’

Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his Greenland counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt were expected to show a united front in the meeting with Vance and other US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"We choose the Greenland we know today – as part of the Kingdom of Denmark," Motzfeldt said in a statement released by the Danish ambassador to the US on Tuesday.

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also reiterated Greenland's commitment to Denmark, calling the situation "a geopolitical crisis" and rejecting the prospect of becoming a US territory.

Trump, when asked by reporters late on Tuesday, dismissed Nielsen's statement that Greenland prefers to remain part of Denmark.

"That's their problem. I disagree with them. I don't know who he is. Don't know anything about him, but that's going to be a big problem for him," Trump said.

White House officials have been discussing various plans to bring Greenland under US control, including the potential use of the US military and lump-sum payments to Greenlanders to convince them.

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said the hardest part in the dispute over Greenland's future may lie ahead.

Denmark and Greenland had originally sought a meeting with Rubio, hoping to discuss top diplomats on resolving the crisis between the two NATO allies.

But Denmark's Rasmussen said Vance had also wanted to participate and that the vice president would host the meeting himself, at the White House.