‘Greenland not for sale’: Danish, Greenlandic foreign ministers to tell Rubio, Vance

The Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers plan to tell US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Greenland is not for sale and will remain under Danish governance.

Lars Lokke Rasmussen of Denmark and Vivian Motzfeldt of Greenland plan to meet Vance and Rubio in Washington on Wednesday in order to reject US President Donald Trump’s plan to seize control of the autonomous region, and make it clear that Greenland is not for sale under any circumstances, according to officials familiar with the planned discussions.

It remains unclear how the Trump administration intends to pursue its stated interest in acquiring the territory.

The meeting comes after days of threats from Trump to use military force to seize the Danish territory, comments that have rattled America’s European allies and prompted discussions within NATO and the European Union about potential responses.

NATO said it is discussing “next steps” to maintain security in the Arctic, while European Union countries are considering invoking the mutual defense clause of the EU treaty.

Known as Article 42.7, the clause states that “if a Member State is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other Member States shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power.”

Denmark would have to request military support and allow EU member states to deploy additional troops to the region and countries would decide whether to send troops on a voluntary basis.

When asked whether NATO would commit to defending Greenland if the US attempted to occupy it, a spokesman for the 32-nation alliance said Secretary General Mark Rutte would not go beyond remarks he made at a news conference on Monday.

“We are really working together here,” Rutte said when asked about Trump’s threats to seize Greenland for the US.

Asked about the potential “Arctic Sentry” mission led by the UK and Germany to increase European military presence on Greenland and monitor threats in the region, Rutte did not confirm or endorse the plan, but, rather reiterated the importance of working together to ensure the safety of the Arctic.

A Trump administration official familiar with the deliberations over Greenland stated in early January that the use of military action would cause NATO to crumble, questioning the seriousness of Trump to actually forcefully seize the land.

“It just seems hard to imagine. It seems silly,” the official said, adding, “It renders NATO obsolete at that point. That is brinksmanship that does not make the bigger alliance make any more sense.”

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has called the situation “very, very serious,” noting the “massive pressure” geopolitical interests have put on his country.

“We face a geopolitical crisis … And if we have to choose between the USA and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark,” he said.

Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he disagrees, adding, “Do not know anything about him (Nielsen), but that is going to be a big problem for him.”

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