WASHINGTON\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Top Danish diplomats met with White House officials on Wednesday to talk about President Trump\u2019s repeated threats to take control of Greenland and left with the understanding that the United States and Denmark have a \u201cfundamental disagreement\u201d about the future of the Arctic territory.<\/p>\n
Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the Danish foreign minister, told reporters that the closed-door meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been \u201cfrank, but also constructive,\u201d and that he was hopeful the allied governments would be able to find a \u201ccommon way forward\u201d in the near future.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor us, ideas that would not respect territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the right of self-determination of the Greenlandic people are, of course, totally unacceptable,\u201d Lokke Rasmussen said. \u201cWe, therefore, still have a fundamental disagreement, but we also agree to disagree.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the hours leading up to the meeting, Trump said in a social media post<\/a> that the \u201cUnited States needs Greenland\u201d for national security purposes \u2014 and that \u201canything less than\u201d acquiring the Danish territory would be \u201cunacceptable.\u201d Otherwise, the president has argued, China or Russia will annex the territory because he does not think Danish officials have done enough to protect the island.<\/p>\n As Vance and Rubio met with the Danish officials, the White House posted a cartoon on social media<\/a> that depicted two dog sleds, with Greenland\u2019s flag on the back, facing two pathways: a sunny day at the White House or a stormy scenario with Chinese and Russian flags. The image did not show a pathway with Denmark.<\/p>\n Vivian Motzfeldt, Greenland\u2019s foreign minister, told reporters after the meeting that she wants to strengthen the island\u2019s ties with the United States. But she asserted: \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean that we want to be owned by the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n The meeting marked the first time top officials from the three governments met to discuss Trump\u2019s threats to seize Greenland, and it came at the same time that Denmark and allied countries announced they were increasing their military presence<\/a> in and around the Arctic territory.<\/p>\n After the meeting, Lokke Rasmussen said a high-level working group would be formed and meet within weeks to \u201cexplore if we can find a common way forward\u201d on security with the request that the U.S. respect Greenland\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether that is doable, I don\u2019t know, but I hope it could take down the temperature,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A few hours after the closed-door meeting, Trump told reporters that he had not been briefed yet on the discussions but reiterated that \u201cwe need Greenland for national security.\u201d<\/p>\n The president has long talked about making Greenland part of the United States, but his threats have escalated in the days after the U.S. military\u2019s operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.<\/a> For instance, Trump warned last week that his administration was going to \u201cdo something in Greenland, whether they like it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf we don\u2019t do it the easy way, we\u2019re going to do it the hard way,\u201d Trump said at a White House event Friday.<\/p>\n European and Danish leaders have repeatedly opposed the president\u2019s plans to take over the semiautonomous territory, warning that such a move threatens to dismantle the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. <\/p>\n Trump said Wednesday that part of the reason he wants to acquire Greenland is to build a Golden Dome missile defense system. He said NATO would become \u201cfar more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Greenland\u2019s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, and Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen both came out in opposition of the president\u2019s plans.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark,\u201d Nielsen said at a news conference in Copenhagen. <\/p>\n Asked about Nielsen\u2019s comments, Trump said: \u201cI disagree with him. … That\u2019s going to be a big problem for him.\u201d<\/p>\n The president\u2019s plans have also drawn opposition domestically. <\/p>\n In Washington, a growing number of GOP lawmakers have expressed unease<\/a> about the White House\u2019s threats to use force to acquire Greenland \u2014 let alone pursue any military action against a U.S. ally without congressional approval.<\/p>\n Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on Tuesday joined Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to push legislation that would bar the departments of Defense andState from using funds to \u201cblockade, occupy, annex or otherwise assert control\u201d over the territory of any other NATO member state.<\/p>\n