'Agree to disagree': Envoys reject U.S. vow to seize Greenland, but plan further talks

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Vivian Motzfeldt, Greenland’s foreign minister, arrives for a meeting at the White House on Jan. 14, 2025.

(Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg / Getty Images)

Ana Ceballos

Staff Writer

Jan. 14, 2026

2:52 PM PT

6 min

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Danish officials said they are looking for a ‘common way forward’ as Trump continues to talk about seizing Greenland, a territory of Denmark.

It was the first time top diplomats from Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. have met to discuss the controversial plans.

WASHINGTON — Top Danish diplomats met with White House officials on Wednesday to talk about President Trump’s repeated threats to take control of Greenland and left with the understanding that the United States and Denmark have a “fundamental disagreement” about the future of the Arctic territory.

Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the Danish foreign minister, told reporters that the closed-door meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been “frank, but also constructive,” and that he was hopeful the allied governments would be able to find a “common way forward” in the near future.

“For us, ideas that would not respect territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the right of self-determination of the Greenlandic people are, of course, totally unacceptable,” Lokke Rasmussen said. “We, therefore, still have a fundamental disagreement, but we also agree to disagree.”

In the hours leading up to the meeting, Trump said in a social media post that the “United States needs Greenland” for national security purposes — and that “anything less than” acquiring the Danish territory would be “unacceptable.” Otherwise, the president has argued, China or Russia will annex the territory because he does not think Danish officials have done enough to protect the island.

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As Vance and Rubio met with the Danish officials, the White House posted a cartoon on social media that depicted two dog sleds, with Greenland’s flag on the back, facing two pathways: a sunny day at the White House or a stormy scenario with Chinese and Russian flags. The image did not show a pathway with Denmark.

Vivian Motzfeldt, Greenland’s foreign minister, told reporters after the meeting that she wants to strengthen the island’s ties with the United States. But she asserted: “That doesn’t mean that we want to be owned by the United States.”

The meeting marked the first time top officials from the three governments met to discuss Trump’s threats to seize Greenland, and it came at the same time that Denmark and allied countries announced they were increasing their military presence in and around the Arctic territory.

After the meeting, Lokke Rasmussen said a high-level working group would be formed and meet within weeks to “explore if we can find a common way forward” on security with the request that the U.S. respect Greenland’s sovereignty.

“Whether that is doable, I don’t know, but I hope it could take down the temperature,” he said.

A few hours after the closed-door meeting, Trump told reporters that he had not been briefed yet on the discussions but reiterated that “we need Greenland for national security.”

The president has long talked about making Greenland part of the United States, but his threats have escalated in the days after the U.S. military’s operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. For instance, Trump warned last week that his administration was going to “do something in Greenland, whether they like it or not.”

“If we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way,” Trump said at a White House event Friday.

European and Danish leaders have repeatedly opposed the president’s plans to take over the semiautonomous territory, warning that such a move threatens to dismantle the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Trump said Wednesday that part of the reason he wants to acquire Greenland is to build a Golden Dome missile defense system. He said NATO would become “far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the United States.”

On Tuesday, Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, and Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen both came out in opposition of the president’s plans.

“If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark,” Nielsen said at a news conference in Copenhagen.

Asked about Nielsen’s comments, Trump said: “I disagree with him. ... That’s going to be a big problem for him.”

The president’s plans have also drawn opposition domestically.

In Washington, a growing number of GOP lawmakers have expressed unease about the White House’s threats to use force to acquire Greenland — let alone pursue any military action against a U.S. ally without congressional approval.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on Tuesday joined Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to push legislation that would bar the departments of Defense andState from using funds to “blockade, occupy, annex or otherwise assert control” over the territory of any other NATO member state.

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In practice, the proposal — titled the “NATO Unity Protection Act — would block Trump from taking over Greenland.

“This bipartisan legislation makes clear that U.S. taxpayer dollars cannot be used for actions that would fracture NATO and violate our own commitments to NATO,” Shaheen said in a statement.

Murkowski said it was “deeply troubling” to see the United States attempt to use its resources against allies, and said such actions “must be wholly rejected by Congress in statute.”

“Our NATO alliances are what set the United States apart from our adversaries,” Murkowski said. “We have friends and allies who are willing to stand firmly alongside us as the strongest line of defense to keep those who work to undermine peace and stability from making sweeping advances globally.”

A similar bipartisan proposal was introduced in the House on Wednesday that would block federal funds from being used to occupy a NATO ally.

“America is at our strongest when we honor our alliances and stand by our allies,” said Rep. Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat co-sponsoring the House measure.

Beyond diplomatic concerns, the president’s plans to buy or seize Greenland are not popular among the electorate.

About 9 in 10 registered voters oppose the U.S. trying to take Greenland by military force, while only 9% are in favor, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. Voters are also divided on the idea of buying the territory, with 55% of voters opposing and 37% in favor.