Overview
- Hours before the White House meeting, Trump said NATO should “pave the way” for a U.S. takeover, calling anything less unacceptable and claiming Greenland’s NATO ties do not ensure its security.
- Vice President J.D. Vance joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio for talks with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland’s Vivian Motzfeldt, a late addition that fueled concern over a harder U.S. line.
- Denmark announced an immediate increase of military activity in and around Greenland in coordination with NATO partners, while France plans to open a diplomatic post on the island on February 6.
- A bipartisan Senate bill from Lisa Murkowski and Jeanne Shaheen seeks to bar Defense and State funds from being used to occupy or annex a NATO ally’s territory without consent, as several Republican senators publicly criticized the Greenland push.
- China urged the U.S. to respect the UN Charter in the Arctic, reporting indicated the White House has not ruled out force, and experts noted existing U.S.–Danish agreements already allow American basing and reinforcement in Greenland.