Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussenhas has summoned the senior US diplomat in Copenhagen following reports that American citizens have been involved in covert operations to influence Greenland. According to Danish public broadcaster DR, the operations aimed to promote Greenland’s separation from Denmark and its incorporation into the US, although it remains unclear who the individuals were working for.
Danish intelligence has warned that Greenland is being targeted by a range of influence campaigns. Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Denmark’s foreign minister, stated that “any attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the Kingdom [of Denmark] will of course be unacceptable,” and confirmed the US charge d’affaires had been summoned in light of these concerns, reports agencies.
US President Donald Trump has previously expressed a desire to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, and Vice-President JD Vance has criticised Copenhagen for not investing sufficiently in the region. During a visit to Greenland earlier this year, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen rebuked the US, saying, “you cannot annex another country.”
In response to the reports, Rasmussen emphasised that Denmark is aware of ongoing foreign interest in Greenland, adding, “It is therefore not surprising if we experience outside attempts to influence the future of the Kingdom in the time ahead.”
Denmark, a NATO and EU member, has long maintained a close relationship with the US, and many Danes have been taken aback by Trump’s persistent efforts to control Greenland. This year, the US president also mentioned that he would not rule out using force to seize the territory.
Denmark’s security service, PET, has identified that such influence campaigns could aim to create discord between Denmark and Greenland by exploiting disagreements, whether real or fabricated, and through the use of traditional agents or disinformation. PET has since bolstered its presence in Greenland and strengthened cooperation with local authorities.
As there is currently no US ambassador in Copenhagen, Rasmussen has called upon Mark Stroh, the charge d’affaires, to address the matter. This is the second time this year that the US has been summoned over reports related to Greenland; in May, Denmark’s foreign minister summoned the US ambassador over allegations that American intelligence agencies had been instructed to intensify their focus on the territory.
DR’s Wednesday report mentioned that one American individual visited Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, to compile a list of locals supporting US attempts to take over the island, hoping to recruit them for a potential secessionist movement. This comes after an earlier report in the Wall Street Journal, which highlighted US interests in Greenland’s independence movement and American mineral extraction efforts.
At the time, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard did not deny the report but accused the Journal of breaching the law and jeopardising national security.