U.S. Demands Greenland Takeover as Zelenskyy Condemned

Trump reiterated his demand that the United States must take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, during a White House meeting with Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday. The U.S. president described the strategically located and mineral-rich island as vital to national security, asserting that America must own it to prevent Russian or Chinese occupation. He stated all options are open for securing the territory.

“It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building,” Trump declared in a social media post hours before the meeting began, referencing a proposed missile defense system.

Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt met Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House to de-escalate tensions and pursue diplomatic solutions that address U.S. demands for greater control. Analysts noted their goal is “to find some form of accommodation, or make a deal that would satisfy that need.”

Andreas Osthagen, research director for Arctic and ocean politics at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute in Oslo, told Reuters the end goal is to calm Trump’s rhetoric sufficiently while meeting U.S. needs.

A former political adviser to Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt warned that Greenlandic leaders risk being treated similarly to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a February 2025 White House meeting with Trump and Vance, where Zelenskyy endured public humiliation. “This is the most important meeting in modern Greenland’s history,” he stated.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen shifted diplomatic emphasis from independence to unity with Denmark, stating: “It’s not the time to gamble with our right to self-determination when another country is talking about taking us over.” He reiterated that Greenland remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark: “We choose the Greenland we know today — as part of the Kingdom of Denmark.”

A poll revealed only 17% of Americans approved of Trump’s efforts to acquire Greenland, with substantial majorities opposing military annexation. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot emphasized that attacking a NATO ally would harm U.S. interests and called for an end to such threats.