Trump berates Danish PM over Greenland in ‘horrendous’ phone call
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen insists territory isn’t for sale but US president’s aggression suggests his demand for a US takeover is ‘serious’.
Donald Trump is understood to have repeated his intent to seize Greenland in a “horrendous” phone call with the Danish prime minister.
The American president spoke to Mette Frederiksen for 45 minutes last week and became aggressive when he was told that Greenland was not for sale, the Financial Times reported.
Trump again threatened to impose punitive tariffs on Denmark if it refused to give up the Arctic territory, deepening the crisis between the NATO allies.
Frederiksen offered closer co-operation with the US on military bases and mineral exploitation in Greenland, which is autonomous Danish territory. But senior European officials said Trump had demanded full control of the island.
“It was horrendous,” a source told the newspaper. Another said: “He was very firm … Before, it was hard to take it seriously. But I do think it is serious, and potentially very dangerous.”
A Danish former official said: “It was a very tough conversation. He threatened specific measures against Denmark such as targeted tariffs.”
The stand-off is certain to deepen alarm in Europe as transatlantic ties come under growing strain within days of Trump’s return to the White House.
Since taking office, the president has threatened the EU with heavy tariffs, demanded a massive increase in defence spending from NATO allies and suggested annexing Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal.
Trump floated the idea of buying Greenland during his first term as president, and revived the idea before his inauguration on Monday. He has declared US control of the territory an “absolute necessity” for national and global national security.
European powers had hoped that Trump’s comments were merely the opening gambit in a negotiation for influence in the Arctic, where Russia and China are expanding their strategic positions. His call with Frederiksen has dashed those hopes.
“The intent was very clear. They want it. The Danes are now in crisis mode,” one person briefed on the call said.
“The Danes are utterly freaked out by this,” another European official said.
The White House has not commented on the call. Frederiksen has said that she noted Trump’s “big interest” in Greenland but repeated that it was not for sale.
The prime minister’s office said it did “not recognise the interpretation of the conversation given by anonymous sources”.
The government of Greenland has signalled that it is open to closer defence and trade ties with the Trump administration since the president revived his interest in the territory. The island of about 57,000 inhabitants is already home to a US space base and holds vast untapped deposits of oil and rare earth minerals, which are crucial for manufacturing batteries and high-tech devices.
Greenland’s prime minister, Mute Egede, said this month that he welcomed American investment in mining and tourism, but insisted the territory’s future was “Greenland’s business”.
“We don’t want to be Danes. We don’t want to be Americans. Of course, we want to be Greenlanders,” he said.
Trump threatened Denmark with tariffs if it refused to give up Greenland and has refused to rule out using military force to occupy the island.
The Times
More Coverage
Hole that gives Japan that sinking feeling
For a week, Japan has been engrossed by the strenuous, desperate and so far unsuccessful effort to save a man who disappeared into a sinkhole.
Hezbollah ‘not a spent force yet’
The Iran-backed militia are maintaining a strong public image in Lebanon but experts believe its ‘intimidation factor is gone’.