Denmark, Greenland talks with Vance and Rubio fail to alter U.S. position

Denmark’s apical diplomat said connected Wednesday (January 14, 2026) helium failed to alteration the caput of U.S. President Donald Trump’s medication connected his threats to prehend Greenland aft flying to the White House for talks.

The overseas ministers of Denmark and Greenland, an autonomous territory of Copenhagen, met with Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio successful what they hoped would wide up “misunderstandings” aft Trump’s bellicose connection toward the NATO ally.

“We didn’t negociate to alteration the American position. It’s wide that the president has this privation of conquering implicit Greenland,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters aft the meeting.

“And we made it very, precise wide that this is not successful the involvement of the kingdom.”

The Minister said a U.S. takeover of Greenland, wherever Washington has agelong had a subject base, was “absolutely not necessary.”

He said the contented was “very emotional” for the radical of Greenland and Denmark, a steadfast U.S. state whose troops died alongside Americans successful Afghanistan and, controversially, Iraq.

“Ideas that would not respect territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the close of self-determination of the Greenlandic radical are, of course, wholly unacceptable,” Mr. Lokke said.

“We truthful inactive person a cardinal disagreement, but we besides hold to disagree.”

Committee to beryllium formed

He said the 2 sides would signifier a committee that would conscionable wrong weeks to spot if determination was imaginable headway.

Mr. Trump insisted hours earlier the talks that NATO should enactment the US effort to instrumentality power of Greenland, adjacent though large European allies person each lined up to backmost Denmark.

Trump said Greenland was “vital” for his planned Golden Dome aerial and rocket defence system.

“Anything little than that is unacceptable,” helium wrote connected his Truth Social network. “IF WE DON’T, RUSSIA OR CHINA WILL, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!”

Mocking tone

While the talks were underway, the White House posted connected X: “Which way, Greenland man?”

The station included a drafting of 2 dogsleds — 1 heading towards the White House and a immense U.S. flag, and the different towards Chinese and Russian flags implicit a lightning-bathed Kremlin and Great Wall of China.

Neither state has claimed Greenland, and Lokke said nary Chinese vessel had been spotted determination successful a decade.

Denmark promised up of the gathering to ramp up subject beingness further successful the vast, sparsely populated and strategically located island.

Mr. Trump has derided caller Danish efforts to summation information for Greenland arsenic amounting to “two dogsleds.” Denmark says it has invested astir $14 cardinal successful Arctic security.

Transatlantic relations strained

The enactment implicit Greenland has profoundly shaken transatlantic relations. Both Denmark and Greenland importune lone Greenlanders should determine the autonomous island’s fate.

In the quiescent streets of the superior Nuuk, reddish and achromatic Greenlandic flags were flying successful store windows, connected flat balconies, and connected cars and buses, successful a amusement of nationalist unity arsenic the talks got underway.

“We are lasting unneurotic successful these times erstwhile we mightiness consciousness vulnerable,” the Nuuk municipality wrote connected Facebook.

Greenland’s person said connected Tuesday that the land prefers to stay portion of Denmark, prompting Trump to accidental “that’s going to beryllium a large occupation for him.”

Mr. Vance, who slammed Denmark arsenic a “bad ally” during a sojourn to Greenland past year, is known for a hard edge, which was connected show erstwhile helium publically berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky successful the Oval Office past February.

The meeting, however, was closed to the press, meaning determination was nary on-camera confrontation.

Emboldened by Venezuela

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told AFP earlier connected Wednesday his state was boosting its subject beingness successful Greenland and was successful talks with NATO allies.

The Danish defence ministry past announced that it would bash truthful “from today,” hosting a subject workout and sending successful “aircraft, vessels and soldiers.”

Swedish officers were joining the workout astatine Denmark’s request, Stockholm said.

Mr. Trump has appeared emboldened connected Greenland — and connected what helium views arsenic the U.S. backyard arsenic a full — since ordering a deadly January 3 onslaught successful Venezuela that removed president Nicolas Maduro.

The White House has repeatedly said subject enactment against Greenland remains connected the table.