Faced with increasing pressure from the White House, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's autonomous President Jens-Frederik Nielsen have presented a united front, making it clear that the territory is "not for sale." This Wednesday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, will hold a crucial meeting in Washington with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. Vance's inclusion as a host in the meeting, known for questioning Copenhagen's sovereignty over the island, has been met with skepticism by Danish politicians.
The leader of the Unity List, Pelle Dragsted, has described his presence as "bad news," while conservative sectors see it as an "escalation" in the conflict. The primary objective of this mission is to de-escalate the situation and emphasize that any attempt at appropriation would require the approval of two-thirds of the US Senate, a backing that Trump does not have guaranteed.
From Copenhagen, Frederiksen has described the situation as "very serious," denouncing "completely unacceptable pressure from our closest ally since time immemorial." The prime minister emphasized that this conflict goes beyond Arctic borders, defending the principle "that borders cannot be altered by force, that one cannot buy another people, and that small countries should not fear larger ones."
Meanwhile, Jens-Frederik Nielsen has been firm in rejecting external guardianship: "Greenland does not want to be owned or controlled by anyone. If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark right now, then we choose Denmark. It is not a time for internal disagreements but to stand together." He also pointed out that the future of the island will be decided by the Greenlanders themselves based on their Autonomy Act: "The limit is that Greenland cannot be bought. We are together in the kingdom with Denmark and will always be part of the Western alliance." However, Denmark's strategy also seeks allies within Washington. A US delegation led by Democratic Senator Chris Coons will arrive in Copenhagen this Friday to "express support for the Kingdom of Denmark."
The purpose of this visit is to discuss how to "deepen this partnership in line with our common principles of sovereignty and self-determination" in the face of annexation attempts. This diplomatic move aims to strengthen Denmark's position before what Frederiksen warned will be the toughest phase in this struggle for Arctic sovereignty.