As President Donald Trump has once again zeroed in on acquiring Greenland, a powerful senator from Mississippi says he has advised Trump to “drop the idea.”
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker said Wednesday morning before Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Danish and Greenlandic officials in Washington that he recently welcomed representatives from Denmark and Greenland to his office to discuss expanded partnerships with the United States. The Republican senator said it was a productive conversation, but one thing was clear: Denmark doesn’t want to sell Greenland.
“Last week, the ambassador from Denmark came to my office and brought in foreign policy leadership from Greenland,” Wicker said on Mornings with Richard Cross. “They made it clear they want to be as helpful as they possibly can to our national defense.
“But I have publicly advised the president that I think he should drop the idea of actually owning Greenland. I don’t think it’s for sale and these folks are our allies.”
Wednesday’s meeting of Vance, Rubio, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt did not result in any agreement for the U.S. to purchase Greenland – the world’s largest island by land area, home to fewer than 60,000 people but rich in rare earth minerals and located along key Arctic and North Atlantic military routes. The talks did, however, result in an agreement to establish a working group aimed at addressing differences between the two sides.
“This group, in our view, should focus on how to address the American security concerns, while at the same time respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark,” Rasmussen told reporters afterward.
Rasmussen added that it remains “clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland.”
“And we made it very, very clear that this is not in the interest of the kingdom,” he said, citing a “fundamental disagreement” with the Trump administration over who should control Greenland.
Denmark’s control over Greenland dates back more than six centuries to its union with Norway, with Greenland becoming an official part of the Danish kingdom in 1953.
Wicker, who believes Greenland should remain under Danish control, said he expects an expanded agreement will eventually be reached allowing the U.S. access to some of Greenland’s critical minerals, along with opportunities to increase its military presence on the island.
“I think where we’ll end up is with a deal on the critical minerals, and I think they’re happy – the Republic of Denmark and the sort of semiautonomous Greenland folks – to make a deal with us,” he said. “They’d rather we have charge of developing the critical minerals and rare earth there in Greenland and perhaps opening another base.
“At one point, we had 17 military bases up until the early 1950s in Greenland, and I think if the president would like to develop some of the resources and have some more presence there so we can defend the west, I think that’s probably where we’ll end up.”
In the hours leading up to Wednesday’s meeting, Trump posted on social media suggesting that NATO should help the U.S. acquire Greenland because the U.S. “needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security.” He added that “NATO should be leading the way for us to get it” warning that otherwise Russia or China would – “AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!”
In response to Trump’s post, Greenland’s representatives to the U.S. and Canada posted on social media, “Why don’t you ask us?” They pointed to a recent survey showing 85% of Greenlanders oppose becoming part of the U.S., while just 6% support the idea.
Neither China nor Russia has attempted to take control of Greenland, though China has previously shown economic interest in the island due to its natural resources and Arctic shipping potential.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.