President Donald Trump’s renewed push for U.S. control over Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, is gradually reshaping relations between the two allies.
Trump has argued that the U.S. needs Greenland for national and global security, despite Washington already having broad military access to the island under a 1951 defense agreement with Denmark. The U.S. also operates Pituffik Space Base there, the Pentagon’s northernmost installation.
Despite Denmark’s objections to increasingly vocal U.S. statements suggesting a takeover of Greenland by any means, and expressions of solidarity from most European nations, pressure from Washington has continued. Vice President JD Vance has publicly criticized Denmark, saying it has failed to adequately secure Greenland. He warned that the U.S. would act if European allies did not take Arctic security more seriously, framing the issue as central to missile defense and surveillance. Vance reiterated Trump’s position that Greenland is critical to U.S. security interests and said the president was prepared to go «as far as he has to» to defend them.
In response, Danish and Greenlandic officials have intensified diplomatic outreach in Washington. Denmark’s Ambassador to the U.S. Jesper Møller Sørensen and Greenland’s head of representation in Washington Jacob Isbosethsen met with White House National Security Council officials and U.S. lawmakers to urge restraint. Danish officials said the goal is to persuade the Trump administration to step back from takeover rhetoric and pursue dialogue instead.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet with Danish officials next week. Rubio has previously told U.S. lawmakers that the administration favors an eventual purchase of Greenland rather than military force, though details remain unclear. Greenland’s government has said it will participate in the talks, stressing the principle that «nothing about Greenland should be decided without Greenland.»
The current push by Trump is not without precedent. U.S. officials first discussed acquiring Greenland in the late 1860s following the purchase of Alaska from Russia. A proposed land swap in 1910 collapsed after Denmark rejected it. In 1946, the Truman administration formally offered Denmark $100 million in gold for Greenland, citing Cold War security concerns. Denmark declined but allowed continued U.S. military access.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that any U.S. military action against Greenland would effectively end NATO. Danish defense officials have also confirmed that a 1952 directive remains in force, requiring Danish forces in Greenland to immediately defend the island without waiting for orders if any foreign military attempts to seize Danish territory.
