Greenland talks stall as U.S. presses Denmark, NATO boosts presence

Talks over Greenland between the United States and Denmark remain deadlocked as the  gap between Washington’s security demands and Europe’s insistence on the island’s sovereignty widens. NATO and the EU have closed ranks around a negotiated response, even as American ambitions to assert control over the island continue to shape the discussion.

Softer tone, hardened red lines

President Donald Trump softened his public tone after a meeting in Washington with U.S., Danish and Greenlandic representatives, but he stopped short of ruling out any option. His remarks left intact the central tension of the talks. 

For Washington, Greenland is framed as a strategic imperative. For Copenhagen and Nuuk, the island’s capital, any transfer of control remains a red line.

Ahead of the meeting, Trump had dismissed alternatives to direct U.S. control as unacceptable. Afterward, he spoke more cautiously, suggesting that a solution would eventually be found. Yet he repeated his claim that Denmark lacks the capacity to defend Greenland on its own and warned that Russia or China could exploit that weakness. Only the United States, he argued, could provide a credible security guarantee.

In practice, Greenland wouldn’t be left to defend itself alone. As part of NATO, it benefits from the Alliance’s collective defence commitments. 

At Denmark’s request, NATO exercises are under way on the island, involving forces from Norway and Sweden as well as from Germany and France. French media reported on Thursday that a French military contingent is currently being deployed to the self-governing Arctic territory.

Security, however, is only part of the equation. Greenland’s vast natural resources, including oil and rare earths, have become increasingly central to the debate. Exploitation once deemed impractical is now seen as more viable as Arctic temperatures rise. 

Estimates cited by Italian news agency ANSA suggest that the theoretical price tag for annexation could reach $700 billion, roughly half of the annual U.S. defence budget. The figures underscore the scale of what is at stake and the extent to which strategic and economic calculations are now intertwined.

No deal in Washington, more boots in the Arctic

The Washington meeting itself was described by participants as frank and constructive, but it failed to narrow the gap. 

Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, reiterated that U.S. control of Greenland is unnecessary and emphasised Copenhagen’s willingness to strengthen Arctic security within NATO. He said talks would continue through a senior level working group in the coming weeks.

Rasmussen acknowledged that he and Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, were unable to shift the American position during discussions at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

The Danish side made clear that U.S. acquisition of Greenland does not serve its interests, while Motzfeldt stressed in Greenlandic that the island has no desire to be taken over by the United States.

Almost simultaneously, Denmark announced a further strengthening of its military presence in Greenland as part of NATO’s broader Arctic strategy. The move is widely seen as a response to long standing U.S. criticism that Copenhagen has underinvested in the region, criticism Trump has previously reduced to jibes about dog sleds.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Swedish officers were arriving to prepare the next phase of the Danish led exercise Operation Arctic Endurance. German and French troops are expected to follow.

A familiar concern, different approach

Despite these gestures, Trump has continued to apply pressure in public. In social media posts ahead of the meeting, he argued that Greenland is vital to U.S. national security and claimed NATO would be stronger if the island were under American control. 

He has previously told the New York Times that he is prepared to choose between annexing Greenland and preserving NATO unity.

Trump has repeatedly urged NATO to facilitate U.S. control of the territory, warning that failure to do so would invite Russian or Chinese intervention. He has also linked Greenland directly to the Golden Dome missile defence project, describing the island as strategically indispensable.

Concerns about Arctic security are not new in Washington. The Biden administration shared similar assessments and established a dedicated Arctic and Global Resilience Policy Office at the Pentagon. 

In 2024, that office produced a strategy calling for expanded cooperation with allies and greater military readiness in the region. The office has since been dismantled under Trump, who appears to be pursuing a far more unilateral approach to a familiar strategic problem.

Image credit: U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Kevin S. O’Brien (Public Domain)