Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen will discuss Greenland with US officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, she told reporters.
“We have agreed to hold several meetings with American politicians, including the secretary of state, also (about) Greenland,” Danish news agency Ritzau quoted her as saying.
She was speaking when she arrived at the conference, referring to US President Donald Trump’s designs on the strategically located, mineral rich Arctic island.
Frederiksen’s office told AFP the prime minister would take part in the talks but declined to say whether other members of her government would attend.
The Danish foreign and defence ministers are also attending the Munich Security Conference.
Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has argued that Washington needs to control Greenland — a Danish territory — for security reasons.
Last month, he backed down from his threats to seize Greenland after striking a “framework” deal with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte to ensure greater US influence.
A US-Denmark-Greenland working group has been established to discuss Washington’s security concerns in the Arctic but details have not been made public.
At the same time, NATO has launched a mission in the Arctic in which Denmark is participating, notably by providing F-35 fighter jets, the Danish defence ministry said.
In Munich, Frederiksen reiterated her call for Europe to increase its defence at a time when the US is disengaging.
“The Americans have been very honest — from Trump’s inauguration speech to a new security strategy and a new defence strategy, the threats against Greenland -— everything points in one direction, namely that the US, unfortunately, is moving away” from Europe, she said.
