Asger Risom
Nordic leaders gather amid growing tensions over U.S. ambitions in Greenland
Denmark has called an urgent Arctic security summit for Monday, bringing together key Nordic stakeholders as geopolitical tensions quietly mount in the North Atlantic region.
As reported by HotNews.ro, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced the meeting in a statement on Sunday, noting the “natural need to come together and discuss the current security situation in the Arctic and North Atlantic.”
The gathering will take place in Torshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands, and will include leaders from Denmark, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Norway. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre is expected to join via videoconference.
Notably absent from the list of participants: the United States.
The move comes against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s continued public insistence on acquiring Greenland, a prospect that has raised considerable concern among regional governments.
Rising concerns over U.S. intentions
Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, holds vast natural resources and occupies a critical strategic position between North America and Europe.
Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of U.S. control over the island, even refusing to rule out the use of force—a stance that has led to strong rebukes from both Danish and Greenlandic officials.
“The future of the Arctic will be determined by the people of the Arctic, and Greenland will decide its own destiny,” has been a consistent message from Copenhagen and Nuuk.
The U.S. position has also stirred unease across other Arctic territories, including Iceland and Norway’s Svalbard archipelago.
Washington explores alternative strategies
According to a May 9 Reuters report, U.S. officials have discussed a new approach that would seek to draw Greenland into the American sphere of influence by proposing a Compact of Free Association (COFA).
Such agreements currently exist between the U.S. and three Pacific nations—Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau—providing for security guarantees and significant U.S. oversight in exchange for strategic access and free trade benefits.
However, Greenland’s status as part of the Kingdom of Denmark complicates this possibility. While many Greenlanders support eventual independence, polling suggests little appetite for aligning with the U.S. under a COFA-like arrangement that could limit sovereignty.
European officials have indicated that Denmark has not been approached formally about the proposal, nor have substantive discussions taken place with the White House regarding Greenland’s political future.