The Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers will meet US Vice President JD Vance at the White House on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump reiterated his demand that Washington take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.
Trump says the strategically located, mineral-rich island is vital to US security and that the United States must own it to prevent Russia or China from occupying it. He says all options remain on the table.
“It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building,” Trump wrote in a social media post hours before the meeting, referring to a proposed missile defense system.
Greenland and Denmark say the island is not for sale, warn that threats of force are reckless and argue that security concerns should be resolved among allies. Several European Union countries have publicly backed Denmark.
Trump also said NATO would become far more formidable and effective with Greenland under US control. “Anything less than that is unacceptable,” he wrote.
In a follow-up post citing Russia and China, Trump added: “NATO: Tell Denmark to get them out of here, NOW! Two dogsleds won’t do it! Only the USA can!!!”
Avoiding a ‘Zelenskiy moment’ at the White House
When Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt meet Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at around 1530 GMT, their aim will be to de-escalate tensions and seek a diplomatic path to address US demands for greater influence, analysts said.
“The end goal is to find some form of accommodation or deal that would satisfy that need, or at least calm the rhetoric from Donald Trump,” Andreas Osthagen, research director for Arctic and ocean politics at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute in Oslo, told Reuters.
Noa Redington, an analyst and former adviser to former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, said there were growing concerns in Denmark and Greenland that Rasmussen and Motzfeldt could face treatment similar to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was publicly humiliated during a meeting with Trump and Vance at the White House in February 2025.
“This is the most important meeting in modern Greenland’s history,” Redington said.
Denmark and Greenland had initially sought talks with Rubio alone, hoping for a traditional diplomatic discussion between senior foreign ministers.
However, Rasmussen said Vance also wanted to take part and would personally host the meeting at the White House.
Greenland signals unity with Denmark
Greenlandic leaders appear to be shifting their diplomatic approach.
Until recently, they emphasized Greenland’s path toward independence. Now, public statements stress unity with Denmark.
“This is not the time to gamble with our right to self-determination when another country is talking about taking us over,” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told the daily Sermitsiaq.
“That does not mean we don’t want something different in the future. But right now, we are part of the kingdom, and we stand with the kingdom. That is crucial in this serious situation,” he said.
Motzfeldt echoed that message.
“We choose the Greenland we know today, as part of the Kingdom of Denmark,” she said in a statement released late Tuesday by Denmark’s ambassador to the United States.
European allies back Denmark and Greenland
Trump’s push contrasts with US public opinion, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Only 17% of Americans approved of Trump’s efforts to acquire Greenland, and large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans opposed using military force to annex the island.
Some 47% disapproved of US efforts to acquire Greenland, while 35% said they were unsure, the two-day poll found.
European allies reiterated their support for Denmark and Greenland ahead of the White House meeting.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Greenlanders could rely on the European Union’s backing. “They can count on us,” she said.
French President Emmanuel Macron warned that any challenge to the sovereignty of a European ally would have unprecedented consequences.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told RTL radio that attacking another NATO member “would make no sense and would be contrary to the interests of the United States.”
“Such blackmail must stop,” he said, adding that France would open a consulate in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, on Feb. 6.