Name: Can Trump's lust for Greenland be stifled through diplomacy? | DW News
Uploaded: 2026-01-14T17:13:29.000Z
Duration: 4 min 34 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Present continuous

Foreign ministers from Denmark and Greenland are heading to Washington, projecting unity as Donald Trump renews calls for the U.S.

To-infinitive

to take over the strategic Arctic island.

secretary of State Marco Rubio are meeting the delegation at the White House.

The talks are set to focus on Greenland's status as a semi autonomous territory within Denmark, a NATO ally of the U.S.

denmark and Greenland insist the island is part of Denmark and protected under NATO.

Trump dismissed their remarks, saying, quote, that's their problem.

Let's bring in now journalist Jakob Illiburg in Copenhagen, who is following the developments.

Danish and Greenlandic officials are heading to the White House.

What's the mood in Denmark ahead of this meeting?

I'd say that the security situation has never been more severe in Denmark since the Second World War.

The foreign minister going to Washington is a very seasoned negotiator, and

Denmark would pin its hopes on his abilities to speak reason with the Americans.

But as some European newspapers today are suggesting, this could define the future of Western security cooperation.

In many ways, this could also define the future of the Kingdom of Denmark.

President Trump, for his part, still insists on the idea of taking over Greenland one way or the other.

How much room is seen as being left for diplomacy in this tense situation?

The Danes would hope that we can talk reason.

The US has always been given all the rights it wants in terms of security, exploration, whatever it wants, business in America.

And the Danes would hope that it could sort of entice the US to continue.

There is also a feeling that there's something else at play for Donald Trump, and

that in a sense, this is not so much about diplomacy or common sense, it's about owning Greenland.

And if that's the case, then diplomacy may fall short.

Greenland's prime minister, for his part, says that his country would choose Denmark over the United States.

Do you see this as pulling Greenland closer to Copenhagen?

Well, I think for now, at least, it's certain.

The message also in your report before clearly shows that right now, Greenland and Denmark stand together.

The big question arises if the Americans tries to sort of give the Greenlanders an offer they can refuse economically, will Greenland in the long run still stand with Denmark?

As you say, there's been a long independence movement, growing independence movement in Greenland, and

that might be tested by an offer you can't refuse.

But for now, certainly the message is the Danes and the Greenlanders walk into the White House together and they walk out together.

Nielsen, the Greenlandic pm, was asked if he would want to speak directly with the Americans, and

Let's talk a little bit about what Denmark and Greenland are offering to the United States, because the prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Fredriksen, says that she is open to Arctic cooperation with the United States.

Could expanding that ease some of these tensions?

And the Danes have invested heavily in expanding military presence in Greenland, not just for now, but

They would also hope that cooperation with the EU would help ease tensions and that the Americans, so to speak, could see the common sense in working together with Europeans.

The feeling here is that that cooperation has always been good, but

as I said in the beginning, there's also a feeling that there's something else at play, that Donald Trump covets Greenland, that he wants Greenland, and

that in a sense, cooperation may not be the long term answer.

The Danes are going and the Greenland is going to the White House to hope, to speak to J.D.

barnes and to Marco Rubio and to explain to them that they want, for all you know, whatever they can do.

They want cooperate, but that there is no way that Greenland is for sale.