Trump says he ‘can’t rely’ on Denmark to protect Greenland

WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he “can’t rely on Denmark” to defend Greenland against potential threats from Russia or China.

“I can't rely on Denmark being able to fend themselves off. They were talking about it, they put an extra dog sled there. Last month, they entered a second dog sled that's not going to do the trick,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

“We need Greenland for national security, so we're going to see what happens,” Trump said. “If we don't go in, Russia is going to go in, and China's going to go in. And there's not a thing that Denmark can do about it, but we can do everything.”

The comments followed a meeting between US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt at the White House.

"We didn't manage to change the American position. It's clear that the president (Donald Trump) has this wish of conquering over Greenland," Rasmussen said at a news conference after the meeting. "We made it very, very clear" that this is not in the interest of the kingdom (of Denmark).

​​​​​​​Denmark and the US, however, agreed to form a high-level working group to find paths forward, he said.

Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, has attracted US interest due to its strategic location and vast mineral resources, as well as alleged concerns about rising Russian and Chinese activity.

Denmark and Greenland have rejected proposals to sell the territory, reaffirming Danish sovereignty over the island.