US, Denmark Form High-Level Working Group on Greenland Talks... "Fundamental Differences Remain"

Vance and Rubio Meet with Danish and Greenlandic Foreign Ministers at the White House

As President Donald Trump openly expresses his intention to secure Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, the United States and Denmark have agreed to form a high-level working group to discuss the Greenland issue. However, Denmark indicated after the talks that "fundamental differences remain," suggesting that the upcoming negotiations will not be smooth. In this context, European countries, including Germany, have decided to dispatch military forces to Greenland, accelerating their cooperation in response to the perceived threat from the United States.

J.D. Vance, Vice President of the United States (far left), and Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State (center). Photo by AFP Yonhap News

J.D. Vance, Vice President of the United States, and Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, met with Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Denmark's Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Vivian Motzfeldt, Greenland's Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the White House on the 14th (local time). The meeting lasted about an hour and focused on this issue.

The participants exchanged their respective positions regarding President Trump's ongoing proposal for the United States to acquire Greenland. According to Bloomberg News, Minister Rasmussen stated after the meeting that "fundamental differences of opinion still remain," but that a high-level working group would be formed and activated within a few weeks to discuss the matter. He described the talks as "frank and constructive."

Minister Rasmussen further emphasized, "Any proposal that does not respect the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the right to self-determination of the people of Greenland is completely unacceptable." He added, "Therefore, we still have fundamental differences of opinion. However, the dialogue will continue." Minister Motzfeldt also made it clear that while Greenland is open to strengthening cooperation with the United States, it does not wish to become a U.S. territory.

It was reported that Denmark had initially focused on persuading the Trump administration during this meeting. The United States, under a 1951 agreement, already has military bases and troops stationed in Greenland, and, if necessary, can expand its military presence, making it unnecessary to annex Greenland, according to Denmark's logic. However, it is understood that Denmark failed to change the U.S. stance during the talks.

This meeting took place after President Trump recently stated publicly that the United States should acquire Greenland, citing the need to strengthen security in the Arctic Ocean. Notably, President Trump had previously indicated that he would not rule out the use of force if necessary to secure Greenland. Before the meeting, he posted on his self-created social networking service, Truth Social, that "Greenland is necessary for national security" and that "the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should take the lead in helping us secure it." Both the United States and Denmark are NATO members. President Trump also warned that if the United States does not secure Greenland, Russia or China could take it, asserting, "That will never happen."

Vice President Vance's office, when asked about the outcome of the meeting, refrained from issuing a separate statement and instead referred to President Trump's post on social media.

Meanwhile, European countries have begun deploying military forces to Greenland. On this day, Germany's Ministry of Defense decided to send a contingent of 13 troops to Greenland. They will join a multinational patrol unit tasked with Greenland's security. Sweden, Norway, and the United Kingdom have also announced troop deployments. This demonstrates that European nations view the United States' overt threat of annexation as an urgent security issue and are responding together.

Meanwhile, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Prime Minister of Greenland, held a joint press conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Copenhagen the previous day, stating, "I would rather remain with Denmark than become part of the United States," making it clear that he does not support President Trump's annexation proposal.