On March 29th, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the Danish foreign minister, scolded the Trump administration for its tone in criticizing Greenland and Denmark, stating that the country is investing more into Arctic security and hopes to cooperate with the US. Rasmussen made this remark in a social media video posted after US Vice President J.D. Vance’s visit to Greenland. However, later that day, President Trump stated that “I never take military force off the table” regarding Greenland.
“Many accusations and many allegations have been made. And of course we are open to criticism,” Rasmussen said in English. “But let me be completely honest: we do not appreciate the tone in which it is being delivered. This is not how you speak to your close allies. And I still consider Denmark and the United States to be close allies.” Greenland is a territory of Denmark, which is a NATO ally to the US. Trump claims to want to annex Greenland for “national security purposes.”
In the same interview, Trump stated that “I think there’s a good possibility that we could do it without military force. This is world peace, this is international security. I don’t take anything off the table.” He also said, “I don’t care,” when asked what message it would send to Russian president Vladimir Putin, who is still attempting to solidify his hold on Ukrainian territory following his 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Following his visit, J.D. Vance said that Denmark has underinvested in Greenland’s security and demanded that they change their approach as Trump moves to take control of the territory himself. “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland. You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people. That has to change.”
Vance also stated that he believes Denmark will partner with the US in the end. “We could make them much more secure. We could do a lot more protection. And I think they’d fare a lot better economically as well.” However, angry reactions from Greenland’s parliament and residents over Trump’s plans indicate that may be unlikely. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen pushed back against Vance’s claim about insufficient arctic defense, calling her country “a good and strong ally.”
