Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen summoned a US diplomat in Copenhagen after reports that US citizens were conducting influence operations against Greenlanders.
This is reported by the Danish broadcaster DR.
According to media reports, at least three Americans with ties to the White House and US President Donald Trump himself are conducting “secret influence operations” in Greenland. They are suspected of promoting ideas for Greenland to secede from Denmark and join the United States.
In particular, US citizens allegedly compiled lists of Greenlanders who have positive and negative attitudes towards Trumpʼs plans to seize the island.
The Danish Foreign Minister called any attempt to interfere in his countryʼs internal affairs unacceptable, so he asked to summon a top diplomat from the United States for talks.
Rasmussen condemned any attempts to undermine relations between Denmark and Greenland.
"If someone thinks they can influence this by creating a ʼfifth columnʼ or doing things like that, then that goes against how states should cooperate. It is important for us to speak out very clearly against the United States," the Danish minister said.
What preceded
In December 2024, Donald Trump declared that “possession and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” for US national security. He had said he was interested in purchasing the island during his first term as president. He has since repeatedly reiterated his desire to acquire the island.
Following Trumpʼs statement, Denmark decided to significantlyincrease defense spending on the island and also changed the royal coat of arms to make it more prominently represent Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
At the beginning of the year, polls showed that almost 85% of Greenlanders were against its secession from the Kingdom of Denmark and joining the United States.
In March 2025, parliamentary elections were held in Greenland, and the center-right Demokraatit party won — it supports the islandʼs independence.
Later, Greenland Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen responded to US President Donald Trumpʼs latest statements and said that Washington would not gain control of the island.
In May, the WSJ reported that the US had ordered its intelligence agencies to step up their intelligence gathering on Greenland, a move that is closely linked to the Trump administration’s desire to gain control over the island.
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