By AAMER MADHANI and CLAUDIA CIOBANU Associated Press
Denmark and Greenland's envoys to Washington have begun a vigorous effort to urge U.S. lawmakers as well as key Trump administration officials to step back from President Donald Trump's call for a "takeover" of the strategic Arctic island. Denmark's ambassador and Greenland's chief representative to Washington met on Thursday with White House National Security Council officials to discuss a renewed push by Trump to acquire Greenland, perhaps by military force. That word comes from Danish government officials who weren't authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
U.S. President Donald Trump's latest threats against Greenland pose a new and potentially unprecedented challenge to NATO, perhaps even an existential one. The alliance is normally focused on external threats, but it could now face an armed confrontation involving its most powerful member. The White House says the administration is weighing options that could include military action to take control of the strategically located and mineral-rich island. Greenland is part of NATO ally Denmark. Trump's designs on Greenland could put at risk the entire future of NATO, which was founded in 1949 to counter the threat to European security posed by the Soviet Union.
By CLAUDIA CIOBANU and STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press
Updated
Several European leaders have pushed back on U.S. President Donald Trump's comments about seeking an American takeover of Greenland. The leaders issued a statement Tuesday reaffirming the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island "belongs to its people." The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom have joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in defending Greenland's sovereignty in the wake of Trump's comments. Greenland is a self-governing territory of the kingdom of Denmark. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said Monday that Greenland should be part of the United States. Frederiksen previously said a U.S. takeover of Greenland would amount to the end of the NATO military alliance.
The top U.S. diplomat in Denmark has been summoned by the government after a report that people connected to Donald Trump have been carrying out covert influence operations in Greenland. Danish broadcaster DR reported Wednesday that at least three Americans have been involved in these operations. They allegedly compiled lists of U.S.-friendly Greenlanders and tried to influence local politics. The Danish Security and Intelligence Service believes Greenland is a target for influence campaigns. It said it is strengthening its efforts and presence in Greenland in cooperation with authorities there. Both Denmark and Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, have publicly said the territory is not for sale, despite Trump's interest in taking control of it.
By PHILIP CROWTHER, KIRSTEN GRIESHABER and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press
U.S. Vice President JD Vance says Denmark has "underinvested" in Greenland's security and demands Denmark change its approach as President Donald Trump continues to talk of taking over the Danish territory. The pointed remarks came Friday as Vance visited U.S. troops at Pituffik Space Base on the mineral-rich, strategically critical island. The Republican vice president says the Trump administration's message to Denmark is very simple: "You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland." Relations between the U.S. and the Nordic country have soured as Trump has repeatedly suggested the U.S. should control the territory.
Consumers across Europe furious over President Donald Trump's policies are boycotting U.S. goods. Among the most passionate are Danes, seeking a way to protest Trump's threat to seize the Danish territory of Greenland. Denmark's largest supermarket chain, the Salling Group, has created a star-shaped label to mark European-made goods in its store. It says the move is not a boycott, but a response to consumers demanding a way to easily avoid American products. Many in Denmark, France and elsewhere in Europe are joining Facebook groups to find solidarity and exchange ideas about how to substitute their once-favorite American brands.
Greenlanders have been pushed into the global spotlight in the weeks since U.S. President Donald Trump said America could take over their Arctic homeland. Most say they don't want to be American. Many are worried and overwhelmed by the comments and the attention. But also hopeful. They say Trump's comments have ignited unprecedented interest in full independence from Denmark — a key issue in a parliamentary election on March 11. Greenland is coveted for its strategic location, its valuable rare earth minerals and its potential for shipping routes as the ice that covers most of the world's largest island keeps retreating due to climate change.
