U.S., Denmark, and Greenland form working group amid territorial tensions

On Jan. 14, 2026, Danish Foreign Minister LLLars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland's Foreign Minister VMVivian Motzfeldt met with Vice President JVJD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House to discuss Trump's demands for U.S. control of Greenland. After what Rasmussen called a "frank but constructive" meeting, the parties agreed to establish a high-level working group that will meet "within a matter of weeks" to explore whether they can accommodate Trump's security concerns while respecting Denmark's territorial integrity and Greenland's right to self-determination.

"I'm not saying anything is solved. It's not solved," Rasmussen told reporters after the meeting. He emphasized that "a fundamental disagreement" remained, adding, "Ideas that would not respect territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the right of self-determination of the Greenlandic people are, of course, totally unacceptable." Despite this, he said the parties "agree to disagree" and will continue talking. Rasmussen stated the working group should "focus on how to address the American security concerns, while at the same time respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark."

Trump did not participate in the White House meeting but spoke to reporters afterward, declaring, "We need Greenland for national security. If we don't go in, Russia is going to go in and China is going to go in. And there's not a thing that Denmark can do about it, but we can do everything about it." He said anything less than U.S. control of Greenland is "unacceptable." Trump cited the territory's importance to the Golden Dome missile defense program and claimed Russian and Chinese ships pose threats that only the United States can counter.

Within hours of the White House meeting, Denmark announced plans to boost its military presence in the Arctic and North Atlantic. On Jan. 15-16, 2026, Germany deployed a 13-member "reconnaissance team" to Nuuk, Greenland's capital, for an "exploration mission" to assess possible military contributions to regional security. France, Sweden, and Norway also confirmed plans to send military personnel to participate in "Operation Arctic Endurance," a joint NATO exercise organized by Denmark. French President Emmanuel Macron posted on social media that "the first French military elements are already on their way."

Greenland is strategically important because climate change is melting Arctic ice, opening shorter trade routes to Asia and making it easier to extract untapped deposits of critical minerals needed for computers and phones. The United States already has a military presence under a 1951 treaty that gives it broad rights to set up bases with Denmark and Greenland's consent. Denmark has offered to let the U.S. boost its bases, but Trump has repeatedly stated this isn't sufficient.

In interviews conducted in Nuuk, Greenlanders expressed skepticism about Trump's intentions. Maya Martinsen, 21, said Trump is after "the oils and minerals that we have that are untouched" rather than genuine security concerns. Geng Lastein, who immigrated from the Philippines 18 years ago, said "Trump is unpredictable." Heating engineer Lars Vintner challenged Trump's claims about Chinese and Russian threats, stating, "The only Chinese I see is when I go to the fast food market. I frequently go sailing and hunting and I've never seen Russian or Chinese ships."

Members of the Senate Arctic Caucus met separately with the Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers on Capitol Hill. Sen. LMLisa Murkowski (R-🐻Alaska) told reporters, "I think it's important to send the message that here in Congress we recognize and support the sovereignty of the people of Greenland." Rasmussen said it was "important that people in Congress and the Senate emphasize that, of course, everybody has to respect the U.N. Charter and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark." A Danish diplomatic source described "cautious optimism" after the White House meeting, noting "it could have been a lot worse" and that there was no "ultimate Trump demand on the table despite recent rhetoric."