Greenland faces a decisive week that could shape its future as top diplomats from Denmark and the semi-autonomous territory are set to hold high-level talks with the US in Washington, alongside parallel discussions involving Germany.<\/p>\n
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday, when he\u2019ll address the issue of Greenland and what role NATO can play in the region\u2019s stability. On Wednesday, Denmark\u2019s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt will get their turn with Rubio, Danish broadcaster TV2 reported, citing a calendar from the US Department of State.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are indeed discussing Greenland within NATO. We share the American concerns that this part of Denmark needs to be better protected,\u201d German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters during a visit to India. \u201cThe foreign ministers are now working on this; the German foreign minister is in Washington today for talks and will also discuss this issue. We are talking to the Danish government in great detail about how we can improve the security situation in Greenland.\u201d<\/p>\n
At stake is how to defuse President Donald Trump\u2019s renewed threats on Greenland and to help reset strained ties with the US over the strategic island. The spat has prompted Trump to level fresh criticism toward other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said a Greenland takeover would destroy the alliance.<\/p>\n
Concerns over the US administration\u2019s military ambitions have intensified by its raid to capture the leader of Venezuela this month, as well as heightened rhetoric on possibly using military force to control Greenland. That\u2019s forced European leaders to quickly cobble together a strategy.<\/p>\n
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A group of European countries, led by the UK and Germany, is discussing plans for a military presence in Greenland to show Trump that the continent is serious about Arctic security and to try to tamp down American threats to take over the self-ruling Danish territory.<\/p>\n
Germany will propose setting up a joint NATO mission called \u201cArctic Sentry\u201d to protect the Arctic region, according to people familiar with the plans. The alliance\u2019s \u201cBaltic Sentry\u201d mission, which was launched a year ago to shield critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, would serve as a blueprint.<\/p>\n
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Trump on Sunday again insisted that the US will get Greenland \u201cone way or another.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we don\u2019t take Greenland, Russia or China will take Greenland and I\u2019m not going to let that happen,\u201d Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.<\/p>\n
While the president has said he won\u2019t rule out military force to acquire the Arctic island, Rubio late Tuesday told lawmakers the aim is to buy Greenland rather than staging an intervention that could test the future of NATO.<\/p>\n
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Meanwhile, a group of US senators are set to meet with the Danish parliament\u2019s Foreign Policy Committee and Greenland Committee in Copenhagen on Friday, TV2 reported. Alaska\u2019s Lisa Murkowski, a Republican with decades of experience in Arctic affairs, is joining the group.<\/p>\n
Greenland\u2019s premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen is also scheduled to visit the Danish capital for a new year\u2019s event on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The US Department of State calendar notes that changes to the schedule may occur, TV2 said. The Danish foreign ministry declined to comment on Lokke Rasmussen and Motzfeldt\u2019s reported meeting with Rubio.<\/p>\n
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