Danish Foreign Minister Summons US Diplomat Over Greenland

Danish intelligence has warned that the Arctic territory is increasingly targeted by foreign campaigns seeking to exploit divisions.

Fishermen travel Arctic waters near Nuuk, Greenland, on May 4, 2025. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Denmark’s foreign minister said on Aug. 27 that foreign interference in the relationship between Greenland and Denmark is unacceptable, after the country’s main broadcaster, DR, citing unnamed government and security officials as well as unidentified sources in Greenland and the United States, reported that at least three Americans with ties to the White House and U.S. President Donald Trump have been conducting secret influence operations in Greenland.

Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in a statement that Denmark is aware that foreign actors continue to show interest in Greenland and its position within the Kingdom of Denmark.

“It is therefore not surprising if we experience outside attempts to influence the future of the Kingdom in the time ahead,” he said, adding that interference in Denmark’s internal affairs is unacceptable.

“In that light, I have asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to summon the U.S. chargé d’affaires for a meeting at the Ministry.”

The Epoch Times contacted the U.S. mission in Copenhagen, currently headed by Chargé d’affaires Mark Stroh, for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

DR noted in its reporting that it had been unable to determine whether the men allegedly conducting the operations were acting independently or under orders and has not confirmed their names.

Rasmussen added that cooperation between Denmark and Greenland “is close and based on mutual trust.”

Strategic Importance of Greenland

Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory, controls its domestic affairs, while Denmark oversees defense and foreign policy. The island’s location in the Arctic makes it strategically important for monitoring North Pole security.

Trump previously proposed purchasing Greenland, an offer Denmark rejected. The U.S. president has said that U.S. control of the resource-rich island would bolster both national and international security, citing concerns about growing Chinese and Russian naval activity in the Arctic.

In March, U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited a U.S. Space Force base in Greenland and accused Denmark of having “not done a good job by the people of Greenland.” The remark drew rebukes from officials in both Copenhagen and Nuuk, Greenland’s capital.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance eat a meal with soldiers at the U.S. military's Pituffik Space Base in Pituffik, Greenland, on March 28, 2025. Jim Watson/Getty Images

Greenland also hosts a key U.S. military installation equipped with space surveillance and missile warning systems. During Trump’s first term, his administration sought to deepen ties with Greenland as part of efforts to counter Chinese and Russian influence in the Arctic.

Security Service Warns of Influence Campaigns

The Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) said it believed that Greenland was currently a target for various influence campaigns aimed at creating divisions in the relationship between Denmark and Greenland.

The agency assessed that such efforts could be carried out by exploiting either existing or fabricated disagreements, “for example in connection with well-known individual cases, or by promoting or amplifying certain viewpoints in Greenland regarding the Kingdom, the United States, or other countries with a particular interest in Greenland.”

PET added that in recent years it had continuously strengthened its efforts and presence in Greenland in cooperation with local authorities, and that these measures would continue.

Closer US–Danish Military Ties

In June, Denmark passed legislation allowing the United States to station military bases on Danish soil, expanding a 2023 defense agreement that gave U.S. forces wide access to Danish air bases.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen defended the move, saying it was essential to strengthen ties with Washington rather than risk pushing the United States away.

Greenland and Denmark also announced in April that they would move to solidify their alliance amid repeated U.S. statements about Greenland’s future. The display of unity followed talks in Copenhagen between Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Frederiksen.

Guy Birchall and The Associated Press contributed to this report.