The US and Denmark are in a tense diplomatic standoff after reports surfaced claiming Americans may be running covert influence operations in Greenland.
Denmark’s state broadcaster, DR, reported that unknown men were allegedly trying to sway Greenlanders toward seceding from Denmark and aligning with the US. The broadcaster couldn’t say exactly who these individuals worked for. Still, the suggestion was enough to rattle Copenhagen.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, didn’t mince words: “Any attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the Kingdom [of Denmark] will of course be unacceptable.”
The US response? A White House official dismissed the reports and told Denmark to “calm down.”
Why Greenland matters
Greenland is a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but Washington has long had its eye on the island. Former President Donald Trump openly floated the idea of buying Greenland back in 2019, and more recently he said he wouldn’t rule out seizing it by force. His vice president, JD Vance, has also accused Denmark of neglecting the territory.
Greenland itself has a complicated political reality. Since 1979, it’s had broad self-rule, but foreign policy and defense remain under Denmark’s control. While many of Greenland’s political parties support eventual independence, polls show little appetite for joining the US.
As Greenland’s leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen recently put it: “We don’t belong to anyone else. We decide our own future.”
Denmark pushes back
The Danish security service PET has warned that Greenland could be a target for outside influence campaigns — efforts that might try to stir division between Copenhagen and Nuuk through disinformation or recruiting sympathetic locals. PET says it has boosted its presence on the island.
In response to the latest reports, Denmark summoned Mark Stroh, the top US diplomat in Copenhagen, for explanations. The US State Department called the meeting “productive,” stressing that ties between the US, Denmark, and Greenland remain strong. But American officials refused to confirm or deny whether private US citizens might be involved in pro-independence activity.
A strain on US–Danish relations
The Greenland issue is hitting at the same time as another flashpoint: Denmark’s state-backed energy giant Ørsted just saw its major wind farm project in Rhode Island halted by the Trump administration. Trump, a longtime critic of wind power, said bluntly, “We’re not doing the wind.” Ørsted’s shares plunged 16% in response.
Experts in Denmark say the Greenland dispute is unprecedented. Jens Ladefoged Mortensen of the University of Copenhagen called the situation a “diplomatic yellow card” — something he says Denmark has *never* had to issue against the US before.
“This hostile attitude towards Denmark from the Trump administration is shocking,” he told the BBC. “As a pro-American country, we’re asking: why are you doing this?”. Photo by Jensbn, Wikimedia commons.