Copenhagen, August 29: Denmark on Wednesday summoned the U.S. charge d’affaires in Copenhagen after reports that officials close to President Donald Trump sought to influence political debates in Greenland, a strategically vital Arctic territory Washington has long eyed.
Public broadcaster DR reported that at least three U.S. officials linked to Trump had been observed in Greenland’s capital Nuuk attempting to identify people who could be used in anti-Denmark campaigns.
Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he was aware of “foreign actors” taking an interest in Greenland’s position within the Danish realm. “Any attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the Kingdom will of course be unacceptable,” he said in a statement.
The United States has repeatedly expressed interest in the resource-rich island, with Trump saying since his return to the White House in January that it was crucial for security and declining to rule out the use of force to secure it.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she took the reports seriously. “I note that the Americans have not clearly rejected the DR report today, and that is of course serious,” she told Danish television.
A Wall Street Journal report in May said U.S. intelligence had been tasked with gathering information on Greenland’s independence movement and on local attitudes towards American use of natural resources. Frederiksen had then accused Washington of “spying against an ally.”
Most of Greenland’s 57,000 people support eventual independence from Denmark but do not want to join the United States, according to recent polls. Both Copenhagen and Nuuk have repeatedly insisted the island is not for sale and that it alone will decide its future.
The DR report said U.S. operatives were probing sensitive historical disputes between Denmark and Greenland, including the forced removal of Inuit children and the contraception of thousands of Inuit women between the 1960s and 1990s. On Wednesday, Frederiksen issued a long-awaited apology to about 4,500 women who had intrauterine devices implanted without consent, saying: “We cannot change what has happened. But we can take responsibility.”
Tensions between the allies have mounted since March, when U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance made an uninvited visit to Greenland. His planned tour was curtailed after European backlash, but during a stop at the U.S. Pituffik air base he accused Denmark of neglecting Greenland’s security.
The Pituffik base is central to America’s missile defence against Russia, while the Arctic has gained prominence due to its rare earth reserves and newly accessible shipping lanes caused by climate change. In January, Denmark announced a $2 billion plan to boost its military presence in the region.
Ahead of Greenland’s March 11 election, Denmark’s intelligence agency had already warned of possible foreign interference, particularly from Russia, though it said no incidents were detected.
