London – Denmark is open to discussions with the United States on how to “fix” the status quo in Greenland, the country’s foreign minister said, after Vice President JD Vancce accused Copenhagen of not protecting the Arctic island during a controversial visit on Friday.
In a post to X, addressed to Denmark’s “Dear American Friends” late Friday, the Danish Foreign Minister Lokke Rasmussen said that his nation agrees that “status quo” in the Arctic “is not an option.”
“So let’s talk about how we can fix it – together,” Rasmussen wrote.
In a video statement, Rasmussen recognized the “many accusations and many accusations” about Greenland. “Of course we are open to criticism, but let me be completely honest – we do not value the tone in which it is delivered.”
Vice President JD Vance speaks the US military’s Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, March 28, 2025.
Jim Watson/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
“This is not how you speak to your close allies,” Rasmussen continued, “and I still consider Denmark and the United States as being close allies.”
The Danish and Greenland leaders have pushed back to Trump’s desire to gain control over Greenland. At the same time, they have criticized his perceived overreach while seeking to ease tension by proposing a deeper military and financial cooperation on the Arctic landmass.
“We respect that the United States needs a larger military presence in Greenland, as Vice President Vance mentioned tonight. We – Denmark and Greenland – are very open to discussing this with you,” Rasmussen said in his statement.
The existing bilateral defense agreement – signed in 1951 – “gives the United States the ample opportunity to have a much stronger military presence in Greenland,” Rasmussen said. “If that’s what you want, let’s discuss it.”
Traditional Greenlandic homes are seen from the Mosquito Valley, March 28, 2025 in Nuuk, Greenland.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
President Donald Trump has repeatedly – both in his first period and then returned to the office of his second – expressed his ambition to take control of the island. Rasmussen’s appeal to dialogue came shortly after Vance completed his visit to Greenland, which is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark.
In a speech with US officials on the American Pituffik -Roombase on the northwestern coast of Greenland, Vance said, “Well, the president said we have to have Greenland. And I think we should be more serious to Greenland’s safety.”
“We can’t just ignore this place,” he continued. “We can’t just ignore the president’s desires.”
Vance said that Trump’s administration “respects the self -determination of the population of Greenland,” but suggested the island would be more secure under the umbrella umbrella.
Greenland is already covered by the collective defense clause on Article 5, which supports NATO, of which both Denmark and the US are members.
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office during a swinging ceremony in the White House, March 28, 2025 in Washington.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
“Yes, the people of Greenland want self -determination,” Vance said. “We hope they choose to cooperate with the United States because we are the only nation on earth that respects their sovereignty and respects their security – because their security is very our safety.”
Vance accused Denmark of not providing sufficient security against “very aggressive penetration from Russia, from China and from other nations.”
“Our message to Denmark is very simple: You haven’t done a good job of the population of Greenland. You have under -invested in the population of Greenland and you have under -invested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful land mass filled with incredible people. It must change,” he said.
Rasmussen said both Denmark and the US had done too little in the Arctic since the end of the Cold War. “We all acted, assuming that the Arctic was and should be a low tension area, but that time is over,” he said. “The status quo is not option.”
Trump has repeatedly expressed his ambition to acquire Greenland despite harsh criticism from leaders in Greenland, Denmark and Europe. There seems to be some support among Greenlanders for his proposal. A poll in January by Verian, ordered by the Danish paper Berlingske, showed that only 6% of Greenlanders are to become part of the United States, with 9% indefinite.
Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance Board Air Force Two after touring the US military’s Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, March 28, 2025.
Jim Watson/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
The island is in a strategic position against the northern coast of Russia across the Arctic Sea and close to two shipping routes – the northeast and northwest passages. Greenland is also believed to be home to a large amount of valuable mineral deposits. Both shipping routes and minerals are expected to become more accessible as the heating climate causes sea ice to retreat further.
“We have to have Greenland. It’s not a matter of: Do you think we can do without it? We can’t,” Trump said in the Oval Office Friday. “If you look at Greenland right now, if you look at waterways, you have Chinese and Russian ships everywhere and we will not be able to do so.”
“We are not dependent on Denmark or anyone else to take care of that situation,” he added. “And we are not talking about peace for the United States.”
“Greenland’s very important to the peace of the world – not us, peace in the whole world,” the president said. “And I think Denmark understands it. I think the European Union understands it. And if they don’t, we’ll have to explain it to them.”
ABC News’ Hannah Demissie, Molly Nagle and Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.
