Denmark, Greenland seek to defuse tensions with Trump over Arctic island
Copenhagen, March 10 – Denmark and Greenland are seeking to lower tensions with the administration of Donald Trump over Washington’s interest in the Arctic territory, with officials and observers saying both sides are aiming to stabilise relations ahead of Denmark’s upcoming general election.
Relations between Copenhagen, Nuuk and Washington have been strained in recent months after Trump repeatedly suggested the United States should take control of Greenland, citing national security concerns tied to the Arctic’s growing strategic importance.
Astrid Andersen, a historian at the Danish Institute for International Studies, said tensions had been particularly high earlier this year but that recent diplomatic engagement had helped cool the dispute.
“The meetings on a diplomatic level take the temperature a notch down,” Andersen said, adding that the strategy now appeared to focus on avoiding public disputes through traditional and social media.
Officials in Denmark and Greenland hope that expanded defence cooperation through NATO and the creation of a diplomatic working group involving Washington, Nuuk and Copenhagen will help ease tensions.
The initiatives are intended in part to address concerns about growing influence from Russia and China in the Arctic region, which has become increasingly important for security and resource access.
Despite the diplomatic outreach, Danish and Greenlandic authorities have maintained a firm position that any transfer of sovereignty over Greenland remains out of the question.
Trump’s recent proposal to send a U.S. hospital ship to Greenland to address local health system challenges was rejected by authorities but did not significantly escalate tensions.
Polar geopolitics researcher Mikaa Mered said Copenhagen was seeking to maintain calm during a politically sensitive period. Denmark is scheduled to hold a general election on March 24, while Greenland elects two representatives to the Danish parliament.
Greenland, which was a Danish colony for three centuries, remains an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Although Greenland’s main political parties support eventual independence, they differ on how and when that should occur.In recent months, Nuuk and Copenhagen have presented a united position in response to U.S. interest in the island.
Julie Rademacher, chair of the National Organization for Greenlanders in Denmark, said cooperation between the two governments had strengthened during the dispute.
“This is the first time there has been such close cooperation between Copenhagen and Nuuk,” she said.Greenlandic politician Aqqaluk Lynge warned that both governments needed to act cautiously, particularly with elections approaching.“He will use everything,” Lynge said of Trump, referring to the potential political impact of the Greenland issue.
Some contentious historical issues between Denmark and Greenland have been set aside temporarily amid the diplomatic tensions.
One such issue concerns a programme of forced contraception imposed on young Greenlandic women by Danish authorities between the late 1960s and 1991. Denmark issued a formal apology in 2025 and pledged compensation to those affected.
A report submitted to the Greenlandic government in early February examining the legal implications of the programme, including whether it could be classified as genocide, has not yet been made public.
Meanwhile, a visit to Greenland last month by Frederik X was widely viewed as part of an effort to demonstrate unity within the Kingdom of Denmark, which includes Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands
