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Top diplomats from Denmark and Greenland are drawing praise from US President Donald Trump for repeatedly threatening to take control of the Arctic island.
As Trump ramped up his rhetoric this week, Calling for nothing less than American control of GreenlandUnacceptable”, externalThe Danish and Greenlandic ministers presented their case to Washington calmly and logically, making it clear that the president’s territorial ambitions were not going away.
“We came here following several – how shall I put it – wonderful comments on Greenland and Arctic security,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said at a press conference on Wednesday.
“It is clear that the president has this desire to win.Grinding… green“We have a different position,” Rasmussen said.
NATO countries Denmark and Greenland; A semi-autonomous Arctic state, They are the latest to face the challenge of navigating the treacherous diplomatic path of the then-diplomatic and unpredictable Trump administration.
There are two schools of thought about dealing with Trump, said Leanna Fix, senior fellow for Europe at the Washington Council on Foreign Relations.
As US President Donald Trump continues to say he wants to take control of Greenland — even by force — Denmark and some of its European allies have deployed a small number of troops to the semi-autonomous island. The move comes after top diplomats from Denmark and Greenland and Trump’s envoys held a high-level diplomatic meeting in Washington.
When it comes to the Greenland threat, Fix says that Denmark and its European partners are using a two-pronged strategy that includes both.
“On the one hand, they are trying to lower the temperature with these talks, but on the other hand, they are trying to destabilize the United States,” she said in an interview.
A small number of soldiers, a big advantage
The ban comes in the form of several NATO countries sending military personnel to Greenland.
The numbers are small – 15 French soldiers, 13 Germans, two Norwegians and one officer from England and the Netherlands. – But theirs The strategic importance is great..
Fix says the move makes it clear.The Europeans are taking Greenland seriously as a sign that it is a NATO territory that the Trump administration cannot take over.
Meanwhile, the discussion section includes a two-way strategyEd Rasmussen and his Greenland counterpart Vivian Mottsfeld met with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington.
Rasmussen and Motzfeldt then They gave a press release They clearly stated that the United States’ control of Greenland is a “red line” that should not be crossed, carefully spilling the importance of national security on Trump’s arguments.
He pointed out that an agreement from the beginning of the Cold War still allows the United States to station troops in Greenland. They have offered to work with the US to address Arctic security by strengthening Denmark and NATO’s military presence on the island.
And they walked away from the meeting with a US promise to form a high-level working group to discuss common issues in the coming weeks.
“Well-coordinated diplomacy.”
The executive director of the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based international affairs think tank, says this week’s Denmark-Greenland diplomatic effort could have ended badly without the right tactics.
“The relative success of Denmark and Greenland in Washington is not easy to achieve,” Ellehuus He wrote in a comment On the Institute’s website.
“Behind it are months of careful, well-coordinated diplomacy that proves the value of public service and provides important lessons in how to deal with the current US administration and its like-minded president,” she said.
For The National, CBC Chief Correspondent Adrienne Arsenault asked Janice Stein, founding director of the Munk School of International Affairs, about how Canada should view the situation in Greenland as the U.S. corners control of Denmark’s semi-independent territory.
Garrett Martin, a professor at American University’s School of International Service in Washington, said that by avoiding further tensions, Denmark and Greenland did well this week and may have redeemed themselves for a while.
“The key is really strategic patience,” Martin said in an interview. “I think this is their best option to play the clock and make a positive case.”
Denmark and Greenland were effective in rallying support among Congress and the American public, he said.
Selection is indicated While few Americans support taking Greenland by force, a non-military takeover of the island receives only lukewarm support.
Amid Trump’s threats, the bipartisan group in the House He submitted a bill This week, congressional approval of a NATO member would prevent military action, while Republican and Democratic senators Bill co-sponsored It expressly prohibits the use of any military resources to control a NATO member state.
Martin said the fact that there seems to be no daylight on the American island between Greenland and Denmark helps their case.
“It was very important to send a message of unity to the outside world so that this is not exploited by Trump or others,” he said.