Denmark’s Ambassador Emphasizes Existing Arctic Security Cooperation

Denmark’s ambassador to Washington, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, has attempted to de-escalate the Greenland crisis by emphasizing that his country is already working closely with the United States to enhance Arctic security. His statement came in response to a provocative social media post by Katie Miller, wife of influential Trump adviser Stephen Miller, depicting Greenland in American flag colors with text suggesting imminent acquisition.
Soerensen stressed that Denmark and the United States are “close allies and should continue to work together as such,” highlighting the existing security cooperation that already gives Washington significant access to Greenland’s strategic resources. The autonomous Danish territory hosts an American military base and occupies critical geography on the shortest missile route between Russia and the United States. Soerensen’s comments underscore Denmark’s position that additional cooperation is possible without American annexation.
President Trump has repeatedly articulated his desire to acquire Greenland, arguing that national security requirements exceed Denmark’s protective capabilities. The territory possesses vast untapped rare earth mineral deposits and is gaining strategic importance as melting Arctic ice opens new shipping routes. Trump indicated he would address the Greenland situation within two months while suggesting preliminary discussions could begin in just twenty days.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued an extraordinary warning that any US military action against Greenland would completely terminate NATO and destroy eighty years of transatlantic security cooperation. This stark ultimatum came after Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela, where American forces seized President Nicolas Maduro and announced indefinite US control. The Venezuelan operation has intensified European fears about Trump’s willingness to use military force to achieve territorial objectives.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen publicly demanded Trump cease his pressure campaign, annexation fantasies, and veiled threats while maintaining openness to dialogue through proper diplomatic channels respecting international law. European nations have unified in support of Denmark, with the EU, Britain, France, and Nordic countries all affirming that only Greenland and Denmark possess authority over the territory’s future. Trump’s justification citing Chinese and Russian naval activity near Greenland was rejected by Beijing as fabricated and dismissed by Greenland’s parliamentary representative as falsehoods designed to legitimize American expansionism.