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Denmark’s foreign minister admitted he shares concerns with President Donald Trump and U.S. officials over Greenland’s vulnerability to Chinese and Russian influence, despite his firm opposition to a U.S. takeover.
“There’s absolutely no Chinese footprint in Greenland,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said on “Special Report” Wednesday. “Having said that… there’s always a bit of truth in what he [Trump] is saying.”
“We definitely share the concern that [the] Arctic is not any longer a low-tension region. And, of course, we have to be aware of that. And that’s why we have invested almost $15 billion U.S. dollars last year in capabilities in Greenland.”
ONLY 1 IN 5 AMERICANS SUPPORT US EFFORT TO ACQUIRE GREENLAND, POLL FINDS
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he understands President Donald Trump’s concerns about China and Russia but called for a “facts-based dialogue.” (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images; Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The remarks followed Danish and Greenlandic leaders’ trip to Washington this week for talks with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rasmussen remained defiant against a U.S. invasion, warning it would be “the end of NATO.”
“We all belong to NATO. And we think that our way forward should be that we, you know, combine forces. So we share the concerns to some extent, but not the methods, if I could put it that way,” he said.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands rejected Rasmussen’s view, saying Denmark lacks the resources needed to defend the territory against adversaries. She warned both Russia and China are actively seeking to establish footholds in the region.
TRUMP SAYS US IS MAKING MOVES TO ACQUIRE GREENLAND ‘WHETHER THEY LIKE IT OR NOT’
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt speak to the media at the Danish Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 14.
“Greenlanders will go independent in the 21st century,” Sands said on “The Ingraham Angle” Wednesday, pointing to Iceland’s separation from Denmark in the 20th century.
“President Trump’s making sure they don’t fall into the lap of China or Russia,” she added.
Greenland has pushed for independence from Denmark, but its leaders have signaled they are not interested in becoming part of the United States. Still, Trump has repeatedly spoken about securing Greenland as a priority.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen speaks during a joint press conference with his German counterpart in Berlin on Dec. 22, 2022.
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“The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of national security,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Wednesday.
He has said Greenland is integral to the country’s Golden Dome project, a proposed U.S. missile-defense shield. Trump added that if the U.S. does not secure the territory, “Russia or China will,” and called on NATO to back U.S. efforts to take control of Greenland.