BRUSSELS — Denmark’s foreign minister said Tuesday he is “more optimistic” after technical talks with the United States on Greenland began in Washington, the first senior-level engagement since tensions flared over the Arctic territory.
Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters on the sidelines of an EU meeting that Danish, Greenlandic and U.S. officials held “the very first meeting at senior official level in Washington yesterday regarding the Greenlandic issue.”
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“It went well in a very constructive atmosphere and tone, and new meetings are planned,” Rasmussen said. “It’s not that things are solved, but it’s good.” He added: “I’m slightly more optimistic today than a week ago.”
The trilateral talks come after U.S. President Donald Trump last week backed down from threats to seize Greenland, an autonomous Arctic territory of EU and NATO member Denmark. The episode had plunged the transatlantic alliance into one of its deepest crises in years, straining a partnership that is central to security in the High North.
Trump later said he had reached a “framework” understanding to ensure greater American influence in the Arctic. But few concrete details have emerged, and authorities in Denmark and Greenland have refused to discuss handing over any sovereignty.
Rasmussen emphasized that Copenhagen shares Washington’s strategic concerns in the region and wants to channel them into practical cooperation. “I have stated on many occasions, we, of course, share the U.S. security concerns regarding the Arctic. This is something we want to solve in close cooperation,” he said.
As part of the emerging compromise with Washington, NATO is expected to bolster its activities in the Arctic, while Denmark and Greenland could renegotiate a 1951 treaty governing U.S. troop deployments, according to people familiar with the discussions. That Cold War-era agreement has long underpinned the American military presence at Thule Air Base in northwest Greenland, a linchpin for missile warning and space surveillance.
Tuesday’s remarks suggest a tentative de-escalation after weeks of sharp rhetoric. For Denmark and Greenland, the priority is to safeguard sovereignty and home-rule arrangements while addressing the geopolitical reality of a warming Arctic drawing increased military, commercial and scientific interest from global powers.
For the United States, the talks offer a path to reinforce strategic posture in the Arctic without a direct confrontation with allies. Any steps could include expanded joint exercises under NATO’s umbrella, investment in dual-use infrastructure and updated rules of the road for operations on and around Greenland, officials and analysts say.
Still, the road ahead is uncertain. Neither side has outlined a timetable or the specific measures that might follow the initial technical talks. Rasmussen cautioned that while the tone has improved, substantive questions remain open and further negotiations are planned.
The renewed dialogue underscores Greenland’s growing centrality to North Atlantic security and the delicate balancing act facing Copenhagen: deepening cooperation with the United States and NATO in the Arctic while maintaining Greenland’s autonomy and Denmark’s control over foreign and security policy.
More meetings between Danish, Greenlandic and U.S. officials are expected in the coming weeks, as all sides test whether a cooperative framework can replace confrontation over the Arctic’s most sensitive terrain.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
