COPENHAGEN: Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland’s top diplomat Vivian Motzfeldt have confirmed that the United States has agreed to establish a joint working group to examine possible ways forward on Greenland.
They also acknowledged that concrete progress at this stage remains limited.
Rasmussen said talks at the White House with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were “frank but constructive”, but he firmly reiterated that a US takeover of Greenland is neither needed nor acceptable.
“We still have fundamental disagreement,” he noted, while underlining that discussions between Copenhagen, Nuuk and Washington will continue.
The Danish foreign minister stressed that Denmark stands ready to strengthen its security contributions to Greenland, but made it clear that any ideas undermining Danish sovereignty or Greenland’s right to self-determination are “totally unacceptable”.
He said Denmark’s position on these core principles remains unchanged.
Rejecting claims of a growing Chinese or Russian military footprint in Greenland, Rasmussen said there is no evidence of an immediate threat.
“According to our intelligence, we have not had a Chinese warship in Greenland for a decade or so,” he said, adding that “there is no instant threat from China and Russia that Denmark and Greenland cannot accommodate.”
Rasmussen also pushed back against criticism of Greenlandic dog sledges still being used by special forces, saying they remain extremely effective for mobility in harsh Arctic terrain. US President Donald Trump has on several occasions questioned the relevance and usefulness of dog sledges in the region.
Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt said Nuuk remains keen to cooperate closely with the United States but is equally firm about preserving its independence.
“That does not mean we want to be owned by the United States,” she said, stressing that cooperation does not equate to surrendering control. (IANS)
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