U.S., Greenland and Denmark enter into talks after Trump’s takeover threat

The Trump administration is poised for tense talks with Greenlandic and Danish officials on Wednesday as the US president continues to push for control of Greenland.

Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt and Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen are scheduled to convene at the White House for talks with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The high-stakes meeting came shortly after Greenland Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed a united front against President Trump’s repeated takeover threats.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Nielsen told a joint press conference in Copenhagen on Tuesday that if the autonomous Danish territory had to choose between the United States and Denmark, “we will choose Denmark.”

Frederiksen also said it had not been easy to stand up to what she described as “totally unacceptable pressure” from her closest allies. “But there is much to suggest that the most difficult part is still ahead of us.”

President Trump, who has long aspired to make Greenland part of the United States, renewed his interest in the vast, mineral-rich Arctic island following the U.S. military’s bold operation in Venezuela on January 3.

The US president said the island, strategically located between Europe and North America, was important “from a national security perspective.”

President Trump told reporters on Air Force One in recent days that the United States would take control of Greenland “one way or another,” even if it strained relations within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military alliance.

Trump’s comments have raised alarm in Denmark, which is responsible for defending Greenland, and Frederiksen warned that a U.S. attack would mean the end of NATO.

Ian Lesser, a distinguished fellow at the Washington-based think tank GMF, said the stakes in the talks were “very high” and warned that failure to resolve the diplomatic crisis “not only threatens NATO cohesion, but the future existence of the alliance as we know it.”

Lesser said the meeting would likely seek to clarify the prospects and possible contours of a negotiated solution to the crisis.

“There could be new European commitments to strengthen the defense of Greenland and, more importantly, the surrounding maritime space, along with potentially new preferential US access to Greenland’s resources,” Lesser told CNBC in an email.

“Otherwise, the talks may end in acrimony,” he added.

The prospect of a public clash between U.S. and European officials in the White House brings to mind the highly controversial meeting between Mr. Trump, Mr. Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last February.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance accused Mr. Zelensky of a lack of respect as their meeting went off the rails and erupted into an unusual shouting match broadcast live on camera.

Former Swedish Prime Minister Karl Bildt said on Wednesday that he did not expect the United States, Greenland and Denmark to be able to find a diplomatic solution, describing the situation as a “deep crisis”.

“I think there was a significant change, I think it was yesterday, when it was announced in Washington that Vice President J.D. Vance would be taking over the conference,” Bildt told CNBC’s “Europe Early Edition” on Wednesday.

“There was a scheduled meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had taken a slightly more moderate approach, but, not surprisingly, J.D. Vance directly insulted Denmark and made some very strange demands,” Bild said.

“I expect it to be quite a tough meeting. I don’t expect any kind of resolution. At most, I hope they start some kind of consultation process,” he added.

Bild, who co-chairs the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank, referred to J.D. Vance’s comments at the Munich Security Conference last February, saying his “quite unusual” analysis of Europe was more in line with the region’s “far right.”

“This is not the transatlantic alliance we once had,” he added.

Otto Svendsen, an associate fellow in the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, a Washington-based think tank, said tensions between Greenland and Denmark were being put aside to present a united front against the U.S. threat.

Svendsen said the White House meeting will provide further clues about how keen the Trump administration as a whole is to acquire Greenland, and how much deterrence it has against threats of a complete breakdown in bilateral relations.

“A good outcome for Danes and Greenlanders would be a statement affirming Greenland’s sovereignty and status within Saudi Arabia. If that is not met, it leaves the door open to continued intimidation and coercion,” Svendsen told CNBC via email.

“In return, the Danish and Greenlandic delegations are likely to propose plans to reconsider the trilateral economic and security agreement, including more favorable access for U.S. companies to Greenland’s mining sector and additional Danish investment in Arctic security,” it added.

Last week, several European leaders rallied behind Greenland, saying that security in the Arctic must be achieved collectively.

“Greenland belongs to its people. Denmark and Greenland, and they alone, decide on issues concerning Denmark and Greenland,” the leaders said. The letter was signed by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and the leaders of Italy, Spain and Poland.