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Greenland’s government will join a meeting between United States secretary of state Marco Rubio and Danish officials next week following renewed US claims on the Arctic island, its foreign minister said.
“Of course we will take part. We’re the ones who requested a meeting,” Vivian Motzfeldt told Danish public broadcaster DR on Wednesday (local time) after Rubio confirmed the meeting would take place.
According to the White House on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump has been “actively discussing” the idea of purchasing Greenland with his advisers. While he expressed a preference for diplomatic means, he has not dismissed the possibility of using military action.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen had said earlier this week that a meeting with Washington’s top diplomat should “clear up certain misunderstandings”.
He has contested Trump’s claim that Copenhagen has neglected security in the Arctic.
Over the past year, Denmark has significantly increased its investment in security, committing approximately 90 billion kroner, equivalent to $13 billion.
Motzfeld said she hoped the meeting “will lead to a normalisation of our relations” with the US.
“Greenland needs the United States and the United States needs Greenland when it comes to security in the Arctic,” she added.
The Wall Street Journal reported Rubio told lawmakers that Trump’s preferred option is to buy Greenland from Denmark, adding the threats did not signal an imminent invasion.
Trump has in recent days repeated that he wants to gain control of Greenland, an idea first voiced in 2019 during his first presidency.
He argues the island is key for US military strategy and that Denmark has not done enough to protect it.
