Asger Risom
Foreign Minister Rasmussen: “We Don’t Spy on Friends”
Denmark has announced it will summon the U.S. ambassador for discussions following a report that American intelligence agencies were ordered to ramp up surveillance efforts in Greenland.
The revelation, published by The Wall Street Journal, has raised serious diplomatic concerns in Copenhagen over what is perceived as a violation of trust between allies.
U.S. Accused of Escalating Intelligence Operations in Arctic Territory
Speaking Wednesday in Warsaw at an EU foreign ministers’ meeting, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he found the report “deeply concerning.” He told reporters, “We don’t spy on friends.”
Rasmussen confirmed that the U.S. chargé d’affaires will be called in for consultations to verify the claims, which he described as “somewhat disturbing,” according to HotNews.
The Wall Street Journal report cited anonymous sources who claimed that Washington’s intelligence community has intensified surveillance in Denmark—specifically related to Greenland—amid President Donald Trump’s renewed interest in asserting control over the semi-autonomous Arctic island.
Strategic Tensions Around Greenland Resurface
Trump has previously floated the idea of purchasing Greenland, a move that sparked outrage in both Denmark and Greenland. Although the idea was widely dismissed, the geopolitical tensions it triggered have not fully subsided.
The situation escalated further this year when U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited Pituffik Space Base in Greenland—the first such visit by a sitting VP—declaring that Washington can no longer ignore growing Chinese and Russian interests in the Arctic.
Vance accused Denmark of neglecting its sovereign territory and called for increased American oversight. The visit was seen by many as a provocative signal of U.S. intentions.
Greenland’s leadership has repeatedly affirmed that only Greenlanders will decide the island’s future. A recent poll cited by France Presse found that the majority of the island’s 57,000 residents support independence and oppose any form of U.S. annexation.
As diplomatic lines grow tense, Denmark faces the challenge of safeguarding its sovereignty in the Arctic while maintaining stable relations with its most powerful NATO ally.