“Things were escalating, but now we are back on track,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen welcomed constructive high-level talks with the U.S. over Greenland’s future.
CNBC reports that Denmark’s foreign minister welcomed “very constructive” high-level talks over Greenland’s future, saying diplomatic efforts are finally “back on track.”
The talks between the U.S., Greenland, and Denmark in Washington on Wednesday were designed to resolve the diplomatic crisis triggered by President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to acquire the territory.
Ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told reporters the meeting “went well.”
“Very constructive atmosphere and tone, and new meetings are planned,” Rasmussen said.
“It’s not that things are solved, but it is good because now we are back to what we agreed in Washington exactly two weeks and a day ago. After that, there was a major detour. Things were escalating, but now we are back on track,” Rasmussen added.
“It’s not that we can conclude anything, but I am slightly more optimistic today than a week ago,” he said.
De-escalation and the “Framework of a Future Deal”
Last week, Trump backed away from imposing tariffs on several European countries opposing his takeover bid of the self-governing Danish territory. In his address at Davos, the U.S. President ruled out using force for the first time.
Trump later announced on Truth Social that he had a “framework of a future deal” on Greenland and told CNBC he had “the concept” of one.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers Wednesday that talks about Greenland’s future would be “very professional, straightforward,” and end positively. “We’re in a good place right now,” Rubio said. “I think we have in place a process that is going to bring us to a good outcome for everybody. The president’s interest in Greenland has been clear, it’s a national security interest.”
‘Afraid and Scared’: The Human Cost of Geopolitics
While diplomats expressed optimism, the sentiment on the ground remains tense. Greenland and Danish leaders recently travelled together to Germany and France to shore up European ally support amid the ongoing pressure from Washington.
“What we are dealing with as a government is trying to push back from outside and handle our people who are afraid and scared,” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said Wednesday at an event in Paris, according to Reuters.
Trump has long argued the U.S. needs control of Greenland, asserting that the territory is essential for U.S. national security. However, opinion polls consistently show that Greenlanders overwhelmingly oppose U.S. control, while a majority support eventual independence from Denmark.
