Denmark’s foreign minister said on Monday there is what he called a “misunderstanding” in Washington over his country’s increased military presence in Greenland, which he said is intended to address security concerns, not provoke US President Donald Trump.
Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Denmark remains committed to what was agreed with Washington during a White House meeting last week, including the formation of a working group on Greenland.
"We will do that, and then we have to see what the Americans do," he told Danish media following his meeting with British counterpart Yvette Cooper in London.
Referring to an increase in Denmark's military presence in Greenland, Rasmussen said there was a "misunderstanding" on the American side of recent events in the Arctic territory.
"What we have done in Greenland in recent days is not to build up to provoke the American president. It is to build up to meet his concern," he noted.
Planes with Danish soldiers reportedly arrived in western Greenland on Monday after an announcement by the country's armed forces earlier in the day.
"The sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries must be respected," he was quoted as saying by public broadcaster DR.
'We have red lines that can't be crossed'
Also speaking to Sky News, Rasmussen said Denmark and Greenland have "kept Chinese investment away" from the Arctic island.
"We have red lines that can't be crossed," he noted, adding that Europe as a whole would respond to the US president's tariff threat, not only Denmark.
"You can't threaten your way to ownership of Greenland ... You have a desire, you have a vision, you have a request, but you will never be able to achieve that by putting pressure on us," said the Danish foreign minister.
His remarks came after he met with Cooper in London as part of his tour of European capitals for talks on Arctic security amid Trump's tariff threats over Greenland.
US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt and Rasmussen held a meeting last week in Washington.
Following the talks, Rasmussen said there was "fundamental disagreement" due to Washington's continued ambition to take over the self-ruling Danish territory.
Trump, for his part, said after the meeting that Denmark could not be relied upon to "fend themselves off" against what he described as encroaching Russian and Chinese influence.
On Saturday, Trump said Washington would impose 10 percent tariffs on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland from February 1, rising to 25 percent in June until there is a deal for "the complete and total purchase of Greenland."
In response, European leaders rejected Trump's tariff threats against the eight European nations, and reiterated solidarity with Denmark.
