Denmark’s Ministry of Overseas Affairs on Wednesday summoned a high United States diplomat within the nation to debate intelligence stories that US residents have secretly tried to affect folks in Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump, to oppose Danish rule.
Here’s what Denmark has accused the US of doing and why Trump has ambitions to amass Greenland.
What has Denmark accused the US of?
Denmark summoned Mark Stroh, the US cost d’affaires in Denmark, after the Danish public broadcaster, DR, reported on Wednesday that a minimum of three Individuals with hyperlinks to Trump had been finishing up covert operations that sought to encourage Greenland to interrupt away from Denmark and as a substitute be part of the US. DR cited unnamed sources.
Greenland, which is located between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, is the world’s largest island and is geographically a part of North America.
The three American people, who DR reported had been being intently watched by Danish authorities, weren’t named by the broadcaster. Their alleged actions embody compiling lists of Greenlanders who assist Trump and gathering details about tensions between Denmark and Greenland.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen mentioned: “Any interference in inside affairs within the kingdom of Denmark, and Greenlandic democracy, is unacceptable.”
“I word that the Individuals haven’t clearly rejected the DR report right this moment, and that’s after all critical,” Fredriksen informed Danish tv.
Danish Minister of Overseas Affairs Lars Lokke Rasmussen additionally informed AFP that he was conscious of the “overseas actors” concerned with Greenland’s place inside Denmark.
Christine Nissen, chief analyst at Copenhagen-based suppose tank Europa, informed Al Jazeera that Denmark’s summoning of a US diplomat was a “very uncommon” occasion.
“Summoning the US cost d’affaires for a proper protest is one thing Denmark solely does in distinctive circumstances, and it indicators simply how critically Copenhagen views the state of affairs. It’s clearly not routine diplomacy however a robust sign of protest,” mentioned Nissen.
“Denmark has solely accomplished this as soon as earlier than lately – and notably over the identical situation, when it summoned the US ambassador in response to a Wall Avenue Journal report suggesting that US intelligence companies had been tasked with investigating Greenland’s independence motion and useful resource potential.”
In Might, The Wall Avenue Journal reported that US intelligence companies had been instructed by a number of high-ranking intelligence officers underneath US Director of Nationwide Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to gather details about Greenland’s independence motion and native views on the US having access to Greenland’s pure sources.
The WSJ, which quoted two unnamed sources conversant in the difficulty, reported that the intelligence companies had been tasked particularly with figuring out Greenlanders and folks from Denmark who supported US aims for Greenland.
In Might, when this report was printed, Fredriksen informed The Related Press that the report was “rumours”, including: “You can’t spy towards an ally.”
After that report was printed, Gabbard’s workplace launched an announcement, saying: “The Wall Avenue Journal must be ashamed of aiding deep state actors who search to undermine the President by politicising and leaking categorized info … Those that leak categorized info will probably be discovered and held accountable to the fullest extent of the legislation.”
How has the US responded?
The US State Division launched an announcement confirming that the cost d’affaires and deputy chief of the US mission in Copenhagen, Mark Stroh, had met with officers from the Danish Overseas Ministry.
Stroh had “a productive dialog and reaffirmed the sturdy ties among the many Authorities of Greenland, america, and Denmark”, the assertion mentioned. It added that the US respects “the best of the folks of Greenland to find out their very own future”.
Nonetheless, the US State Division didn’t touch upon the claims in regards to the actions of US residents. “The US authorities doesn’t management or direct the actions of personal residents,” it acknowledged.
What has Trump mentioned about Greenland?
Greenland is residence to about 56,000 folks, most of whom are from the Indigenous Inuit neighborhood.
Since Trump’s first time period, the US president has expressed an curiosity in Greenland’s accession to the US. Again then, Trump cancelled a visit to Copenhagen after Denmark refused to promote Greenland to the US.
Throughout his second time period as president, Trump has stepped up his curiosity in Greenland. In late December 2024, Trump posted on his Reality Social platform that “the possession and management of Greenland is an absolute necessity”.
In response to this, Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede mentioned in a written assertion: “Greenland is ours. We’re not on the market and can by no means be on the market. We should not lose our lengthy battle for freedom.”
In January, forward of his son Donald Trump Jr’s journey to Greenland, Trump once more wrote on Reality Social: “Greenland is an unbelievable place, and the folks will profit tremendously if, and when, it turns into a part of our Nation.”
After this, Frederiksen mentioned: “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.” Rasmussen emphasised that Greenland didn’t wish to turn into part of the US.
Trump as soon as once more raised his ambitions to amass Greenland in March, forward of US Vice President JD Vance’s go to to the island. “We’d like Greenland. And the world wants us to have Greenland, together with Denmark,” Trump informed reporters on the White Home, including that the US will go “so far as we’ve got to go” to make it occur.
“I’ve to say that it’s unacceptable stress being positioned on Greenland and Denmark on this state of affairs. And it’s stress that we are going to resist,” Frederiksen informed Danish media on the time.
Whereas Vance was initially slated to go to a number of cities, he minimize his itinerary brief to sooner or later after information of his go to was met with anger in Europe. He ended up visiting the US Pituffik navy base, which Greenland hosts.
Throughout his journey, Vance took goal at Denmark, saying: “You haven’t accomplished a great job by the folks of Greenland. You’ve got underinvested within the folks of Greenland and you’ve got underinvested within the safety of this unbelievable, lovely landmass.”
What’s so essential about Greenland?
Greenland is wealthy in minerals, together with uncommon earth minerals important for manufacturing batteries and high-tech merchandise. A 2023 survey discovered that Greenland incorporates 25 out of 34 minerals designated as “crucial uncooked supplies” by the European Fee.
Nonetheless, Greenland doesn’t extract oil and gasoline since mining is opposed by the Indigenous communities there. The island’s financial system depends totally on its fishing business.
The island can be strategically essential to the US as a result of it sits on the shortest route from North America to Europe, probably offering the US with a strategic benefit in navy operations and its ballistic missile early-warning system.
How have Denmark and Europe responded to Trump’s ambitions to amass Greenland?
Officers from Denmark and Greenland have rebuked Trump and repeatedly acknowledged that Greenland is “not on the market”.
In December, Denmark introduced it will enhance defence spending in Greenland by $1.5bn after Trump expressed his want to take over the autonomous island.
European leaders have expressed solidarity with Denmark.
In January, after Trump refused to rule out navy drive to take Greenland, European leaders warned Trump towards threatening “sovereign borders”.
“Borders should not be moved by drive. This precept applies to each nation, whether or not within the East or the West,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote in an X submit. France’s overseas minister Jean-Noel Barrot mentioned that Greenland was “European territory” and there was “no query of the EU letting different nations on the earth, whoever they might be … assault its sovereign borders”.
Though Greenland isn’t a member of the European Union, it’s included on the EU’s record of Abroad Nations and Territories (OCTs).
In June, French President Emmanuel Macron visited Greenland in a present of solidarity.
“It’s essential to point out that Denmark and Europe are dedicated to this territory, which has very excessive strategic stakes and whose territorial integrity should be revered,” Macron mentioned throughout his go to.
Previous to his go to, Macron mentioned throughout a United Nations Ocean Convention that Greenland and the deep seas weren’t “up for grabs”.
Are there different factors of stress between the US and Denmark?
Pressure between the US and Denmark emerged not too long ago after the Trump administration stopped work on a virtually full wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island within the US by Orsted, one in all Denmark’s largest corporations.
The Revolution Wind challenge was about 80 p.c full when it acquired the cease order on August 23. The cease order cited a have to “handle considerations associated to the safety of nationwide safety pursuits” with out offering additional particulars. On Monday, Orsted shares plunged 17 p.c, hitting an all-time low.
In January, analysis by polling company YouGov, shared with British newspaper The Guardian, confirmed that 46 p.c of individuals surveyed in Denmark noticed the US as both a “pretty large menace” or a “very large menace” to Denmark.
The US and Denmark are each founding members of NATO, and Denmark fought alongside the US in its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
How does Greenland really feel in regards to the US and Denmark?
Greenland was dominated by Denmark from the early 1700s till 1979, when it grew to become a self-governing territory. Since 2009, Greenland has had the authorized proper to declare independence if its folks select to take action by means of a referendum.
All three main events in Greenland assist independence for the island, however have totally different concepts in regards to the timeline for this and need Greenlanders to determine for themselves. Prime Minister Egede’s Inuit Ataqatigiit occasion helps independence however doesn’t wish to rush the method.
In keeping with a ballot performed in January by pollster Verian, commissioned by the Danish newspaper Berlingske, 56 p.c of Greenlanders would vote for independence if a referendum was held. Seventeen p.c of Greenlanders responded saying they “don’t know” whether or not or not they’d vote for Greenland to turn into an unbiased state.
But there may be scant proof that even those that need independence from Denmark wish to be part of the US.
In the meantime, tensions with Denmark exist, too.
The Danish authorities forcefully separated Inuit youngsters from their households in 1951 and compelled contraception upon 4,500 Inuit ladies – a minimum of half of fertile Inuit females – in the course of the Nineteen Sixties and Seventies.
On Wednesday, Fredriksen apologised to the Inuit ladies who had been compelled to put on an intrauterine machine (IUD) with out their consent.
“We can not change what has occurred. However we will take duty. Subsequently, on behalf of Denmark, I want to say: I’m sorry,” she mentioned in an announcement.