The security agenda surrounding Greenland came to the fore with remarks by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen as 10 NATO allies conducted a joint exercise on the island. Frederiksen said the working group operating with the United States on Greenland had not yet reached the stage of producing results.
Speaking to reporters after the European Arctic Summit in Finland, Frederiksen said the group was continuing its work and that it was therefore too early to expect results. The Danish prime minister said they had seen some clear signs and signals in the process and expressed optimism about progress.
Frederiksen said she hoped Denmark and the United States would find a peaceful path forward on Greenland. She also said they wanted to establish closer cooperation between the two countries in the areas of 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.
The group's activities, conducted largely behind closed doors, attracted greater international attention amid repeated calls by U.S. President Donald Trump during his presidency for Greenland to come under U.S. control. Trump had described the demand as a historical and strategic necessity.
Frederiksen said Greenland was under great pressure and thanked the European partners that had provided 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. The Danish prime minister said 10 NATO allies were conducting a joint exercise in Greenland.
Frederiksen said that when she took office, the Arctic region did not occupy an important place on the agendas of the European Union and NATO. She said European and transatlantic partners were now jointly assuming greater responsibility for the security of Greenland and the wider Arctic region.
