U.S.President Donald Trump arrives at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, in Michigan, U.S., January 13, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
U.S.President Donald Trump arrives at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
(Washington, DC) – Senior officials from Denmark and Greenland are set to confront the Trump administration at the White House this week, as concerns grow overseas over President Donald Trump’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric about taking control of the Arctic island.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt will meet Wednesday with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House, according to a European diplomat familiar with the plans.
The talks come at a sensitive moment, as Trump has reignited threats to seize Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark that he has repeatedly described as vital to U.S. national security.
Trump’s latest comments followed a string of forceful statements in recent days, including remarks made aboard Air Force One in which he suggested U.S. control of Greenland was inevitable.
“I’d love to make a deal with them. It’s easier,” Trump said. “But one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland.”
Both Denmark and Greenland have firmly rejected Trump’s position, with leaders in Copenhagen warning that any attempt to seize the territory would have catastrophic consequences for NATO and transatlantic relations. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said a U.S. invasion of Greenland would effectively spell the end of the military alliance.
The diplomatic push does not stop in Washington. Motzfeldt and Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen are also scheduled to travel to Brussels for meetings with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, underscoring growing European alarm over Trump’s posture.
European leaders have rallied behind Greenland’s right to self-determination, particularly after a recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela raised fears that Trump could pursue similar unilateral action elsewhere.
The White House has not publicly commented on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting.
