Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said it was too early to expect results from the working group established with the United States on Greenland, as the group was still carrying out its work. Speaking after the European Arctic Summit in Finland, Frederiksen said they had seen some clear signs and signals in the process.
Frederiksen said she was optimistic that Denmark and the United States could find a peaceful way forward on Greenland. The Danish prime minister said they wanted the two countries to establish closer cooperation in security and defense.
The trilateral working group, comprising representatives from Denmark, the United States and Greenland, was established after Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland's then-Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt visited Washington in January. Rasmussen and Motzfeldt met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Alongside the working group, whose activities have largely been conducted behind closed doors, repeated calls by U.S. President Donald Trump during his presidency for Greenland to come under U.S. control have also increased international interest. Trump had described the demand as a historical and strategic necessity.
Frederiksen said Greenland was under great pressure and thanked European partners for providing Denmark with broad and strong support as international interest in the Arctic island increased.
Frederiksen said the involvement of European and transatlantic actors in Arctic security had increased and that 10 NATO allies had conducted a joint exercise in Greenland.
Frederiksen said that when she became Denmark's prime minister, the Arctic region did not hold an important place on the agendas of the European Union and NATO. She said European and transatlantic partners were now taking greater joint responsibility for the security of Greenland and the wider Arctic region.
