Denmark says its sovereignty is non-negotiable after Trump’s face in Greenland
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Denmark’s prime minister insisted on Thursday that his country cannot negotiate its sovereignty, after US President Donald Trump said he had agreed to a “future draft agreement” on Greenland and Arctic security with the NATO chief.
On Wednesday, Trump abruptly canceled the tariffs he had threatened to impose on eight European countries to pressure the US to take control of Greenland, an independent territory of NATO ally Denmark.
It was a surprise reversal hours after he insisted he wanted to acquire the island “including right, title and ownership” – although he also said he would not use force.
Trump said “further discussions” in Greenland were being held about the Golden Dome missile defense system, a $175 billion US project that will put US weapons in space for the first time. Trump gave few details, saying they are still being worked out.
NATO said its secretary-general, Mark Rutte, did not propose any compromise to Denmark’s sovereignty.
Denmark emphasizes territorial integrity
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that security in the Arctic is a matter for all of NATO, and it is “good and natural” to discuss it between the US president and Rutte. In a statement, he said he spoke with Rutte “on an ongoing basis,” including before and after meeting Trump in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday.
He wrote that NATO is fully aware of Denmark’s position that anything political, including security, investment and economic issues is non-negotiable – “but we cannot negotiate our sovereignty.”
“I was informed that this was not the case,” he said, adding that only Denmark and Greenland can make decisions on matters affecting Denmark and Greenland.
Frederiksen said Denmark wants to continue constructive discussions with partners on how to strengthen security in the Arctic, including the US Golden Dome project, “as long as this is done with respect for our territorial integrity.”
Tillie Martinussen, a former member of Greenland’s Parliament, says the people of Nuuk have not heard details about the agreement that US President Donald Trump mocked on Wednesday. But he said the Greenlanders will never trust him again, likening him to a sled dog that turns to bite you.
Asked in an interview with Fox News whether Greenland would remain part of the Danish government under Trump’s announced agreement, Rutte replied, “that issue did not come up again in my discussions today with the president.”
“He’s very focused on what we need to do to make sure how we can protect the great Arctic region, where the changes are happening right now, where the Chinese and the Russians are very active,” he said. “That was the focus of our discussions.”
NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart said Thursday that Rutte “did not suggest any compromise on sovereignty during his meeting with President Trump.” He said the talks between Denmark, Greenland and the US “will continue with the aim of ensuring that Russia and China do not gain anything – economically or militarily – from Greenland.”
Christan Friis Bach, chairman of the Danish parliament’s foreign policy committee, told the Associated Press that Denmark wants to see a “joint and permanent” NATO surveillance and security mission in the Arctic, in line with the Baltic Sentry mission the alliance launched in the Baltic Sea last year.
Doubts about Trump’s transition
On the streets of Copenhagen, some were skeptical of Trump’s new decision.
“I think this man has said a lot of things and done a lot of different things in what he said,” said Louise Pedersen, 22, who works with a start-up company. “It’s hard to believe. I think it’s scary that we’re standing here in 2026.”
He said it was up to Greenlanders to decide what happens to their land – “not Donald Trump.”
“I don’t trust anything Mr. Trump says,” said Poul Bjoern Strand, 70, who works in advertising.
Regarding the possibility of him leaving the country, he said: “It’s not what the people of Greenland want, it’s not what the Danish people want, and … I don’t believe that the Danes will follow that.”
Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany, one of the European countries that faced Trump’s threat of tariffs on Greenland, emphasized the need for European NATO allies to do more to protect the Arctic region and stressed that it is “a common transatlantic interest.”
“We will protect Denmark, Greenland, the north from the danger caused by Russia,” said Merz at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “We will uphold the principles on which the transatlantic relationship was founded, namely sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“We support the negotiations between Denmark and Greenland [and] the United States on the basis of these principles,” aiming for close cooperation, he said. “It is good news that we are taking steps to enter that right path. I welcome President Trump’s words last night – this is the right way to go.”
Front burner29:34Is Europe ready for a war in Greenland?
In a provocative speech to the World Economic Forum on Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney charged that international economic and political rules are “in the midst of a crack, not a revolution”. Carney went on to say that middle powers like Canada need to work together to find their allies to survive and resist countries using economic pressure – a clear reference to the Trump administration. This comes after Trump’s surprise threats earlier this week to lower tariffs on European countries such as France, Britain and Germany over their support for the Greenlandic monarchy. It has put the relationship between the US and Europe on edge. Carney said he stands with our European allies in supporting Greenland. But what kind of pushback can they ride? And what kind of domestic pressures are European leaders facing in their own backyards? Michaela Kuefner is Senior Political Editor at DW News and joins us from Davos, Switzerland. For Front Burner documentation, please visit: []
