Tensions between Denmark and the United States flared this week after reports surfaced that Americans may have been conducting covert influence operations in Greenland aimed at pushing the territory toward secession and eventual U.S. annexation.
Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen summoned Washington’s top diplomat in Copenhagen, Chargé d’Affaires Mark Stroh, demanding clarification. “Any attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark will of course be unacceptable,” Rasmussen said.
The claims were reported by Denmark’s public broadcaster DR, which cited sources saying operatives had sought to infiltrate Greenlandic society and compile lists of individuals supportive of U.S. control. While the broadcaster could not confirm who the individuals worked for, the allegations reignited long-standing suspicions about Washington’s intentions.
A White House official downplayed the issue, telling reporters: “We think the Danes need to calm down.” The State Department, meanwhile, said Stroh’s meeting with Danish officials was “productive” and reaffirmed “the strong ties” between the U.S., Denmark, and Greenland.
Trump’s Greenland Ambitions
President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced interest in annexing Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark. He has even suggested the U.S. could seize it by force, while Vice President J.D. Vance has accused Copenhagen of underinvesting in the Arctic island.
Earlier this year, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned during a visit to Nuuk: “You cannot annex another country.”
Denmark’s intelligence service PET has assessed that Greenland faces ongoing attempts at foreign influence, with campaigns designed to exploit real or fabricated tensions between Nuuk and Copenhagen. PET has since boosted its presence in Greenland to counter disinformation and recruitment efforts.
