Kathrine Frich
Donald Trump announcement has been met with swift pushback in Copenhagen.
Danish and Greenlandic politicians say they were caught off guard by claims of an emerging agreement.
The reaction has underscored growing tensions over who gets a say in the Arctic island’s future.
Trump’s claim
Trump said on Wednesday that he had laid the groundwork for a future deal involving Greenland and the wider Arctic region.
Writing on Truth Social, he said the framework followed what he described as a productive meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
He claimed the understanding would benefit the United States and NATO allies and said planned tariffs on February 1 would not go ahead as a result.
Trump also said further talks would continue under the direction of Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
While Trump did meet Rutte, the suggestion that a deal had been struck prompted surprise among officials in Denmark and Greenland.
‘Not real’
Speaking to Sky News, Danish MP Sascha Faxe rejected the notion that any genuine agreement exists.
“The thing is, there can’t be a deal without having Greenland as part of the negotiations, first of all,” she said.
Faxe stressed that decisions about Greenland’s resources or security cannot be made by NATO leaders alone.
She referred to comments by Aaja Chemnitz Larsen, a Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament, who has said such matters are not for others to trade away.
“And they are very clear: Greenland is not for sale, they are not up for negotiations,” Faxe added.
No negotiations
Faxe described the interaction between Trump and Rutte as informal rather than substantive.
“So it’s not real negotiations, it’s two men who have had a conversation,” she said. “It’s definitely not a deal.”
Her assessment echoed comments from Rutte himself, who played down the scope of the talks.
NATO response
Rutte said the question of Greenland’s status did not arise in his discussions with Trump.
“That issue did not come up anymore in my conversations tonight with the president,” he told Fox News.
He said Trump focused instead on broader Arctic security concerns, including increased activity by China and Russia in the region and how NATO should respond.
Public backlash
Trump’s renewed push on Greenland has drawn strong opposition in Denmark and on the island itself.
A petition titled “Hands off Greenland” has gathered more than 70,000 signatures.
The controversy has also sparked satire, with spoof “Make America Go Away” hats reportedly selling in large numbers after Trump refused to rule out using military force to acquire the territory.
Sources: Sky News, Fox News, Unilad.
