Overview
- Hours before the meeting, President Trump posted that the U.S. “needs Greenland” for national security, urged NATO to “lead the way,” tied the island to his Golden Dome missile-defense plans, and has not ruled out using force.
- Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen reaffirmed the territory would choose Denmark, NATO and the EU, prompting Trump to say that stance would be “a big problem for him.”
- Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are meeting Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland’s foreign minister Vivian Motzfeldt, with follow-on discussions planned on Capitol Hill with Arctic Caucus senators.
- European officials condemned U.S. pressure, with France decrying “blackmail” and announcing a consulate in Greenland for February, while Denmark warned that any use of force would mean the end of NATO and said it is strengthening its Arctic defense posture.
- Bipartisan legislation in Congress would bar Defense and State Department funds from being used to annex Greenland or any NATO ally’s territory without that ally’s consent or North Atlantic Council approval.