U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will reportedly meet Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen on the sidelines of a NATO gathering in Brussels, as Donald Trump has said he wants to take Greenland after coming to power.
The British newspaper Financial Times reported that a meeting is planned for Tuesday, quoting two unnamed officials. This would be the first face-to-face high-level meeting between the U.S. and Denmark since the new Trump administration began in January.
Why it Matters
Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, rich in natural resources, including highly valuable rare minerals. This large Danish self-governing island is located northeast of Canada, between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, and is a strategic buffer between the United States and Russia.
Trump’s tough talk about Greenland drew strong reactions from both the island’s leaders and the Danish government, a U.S. ally in NATO. Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, said the U.S. was putting “unacceptable pressure” on them.
What To Know
Many in Greenland want to break away from Denmark, but there’s little interest in becoming part of the U.S. After the recent elections, Greenland’s new Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, firmly pushed back against Trump.
NBC News asked Trump if he would consider using military force to take control of Greenland. He answered, “I don’t rule anything out,” but also said there’s a “good chance we could do it without military force.”
Last week, on March 28, Vice President JD Vance visited the U.S. Pituffik Space Base in northern Greenland with his wife, Usha Vance, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
The trip was shortened after Greenland and Denmark criticized the plan to visit a dog-sled race. Vance also criticized Denmark for how they’ve handled Greenland, saying they “haven’t done a good job.”
What Nielsen and Vance are saying
“We must listen when others talk about us. But we must not be shaken. President Donald Trump says the United States is ‘getting Greenland’,” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday.
Nielsen noted that “the United States is not getting this.” And he said we must respond with peace, dignity, and unity.
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“And it is through these values that we must clearly, clearly and calmly show the American president that Greenland is ours. It was like that yesterday. That’s how it is today. And that’s how it will be in the future.” Nielsen added.
While in Greenland, Vice President Vance said, “Denmark hasn’t kept up with providing the resources needed to maintain this base, support our troops, and, in my opinion, protect the people of Greenland from increasing threats from Russia, China, and other countries.”
“We know that Russia and China and other nations are taking an extraordinary interest in Arctic passageways, Arctic naval routes, and in the minerals of the Arctic territories. We need to ensure America is leading in the Arctic.” Vice President Vance added.
