Denmark has rejected any suggestion of handing parts of Greenland over to the US after Donald Trump had claimed he had reached a “framework of a future deal” over the island.
The Telegraph understands that this deal, which mimics Britain’s agreement with Cyprus, would allow the US to control parts of Greenland by designating them as sovereign base areas.
But Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, emphasised that her country could not negotiate on its sovereignty and that Mark Rutte, the NATO secretary-general, had no authority to do so on Denmark’s behalf.
“NATO is fully aware of the Kingdom of Denmark’s position. We can negotiate on everything political – security, investments, economy. But we cannot negotiate on our sovereignty. I have been informed that this has not been the case,” she said.
The framework was agreed between the US president and Mr Rutte on Wednesday evening, raising hopes of an easing of Danish concerns that the US might seek to annex the semi-autonomous region.
Following its announcement, Mr Trump declared an about-turn on the tariffs he had threatened to impose against eight European nations, including the UK.
On Thursday night, the US president told reporters on board Air Force One that he expected to have a deal to resolve the Greenland dispute in “two weeks”.
“There’s a good spirit to get something done. And we have to have a strong freedom. We have to have the ability to do exactly what we want to do,” he said.
It is believed the proposed deal would allow the US to carry out military and intelligence operations, as well as training, while also facilitating some local development, potentially including rare earth mining.
In theory, the proposed new framework would allow the US to control parts of Greenland and potentially expand into mineral-rich areas coveted by Mr Trump. It also means that the US would not have to seek permits, such as planning permission.
Further details of the agreement, made at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, remain scant.
But a NATO spokesman said Mr Rutte “did not propose any compromise to sovereignty during his meeting with the president in Davos”.
On Thursday, Troels Lund Poulsen, the Danish defence minister, reiterated that Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland was non‑negotiable and stressed that Mr Rutte had no mandate to negotiate on behalf of Denmark or Greenland.
However, he wrote on social media that Mr Rutte had “worked loyally to maintain unity within NATO”, and it was “very positive” that the alliance wanted to do more to strengthen Arctic security.
“We have a clear red line,” he added. “We will not cede sovereignty over parts of the kingdom.”
EU governments remain wary of another change of mind by Mr Trump, who is increasingly seen as a bully to whom Europe will have to stand up, according to reports.
They are focused on coming up with a longer-term plan on how to deal with the US under this administration and possibly its successors.
“Trump crossed the Rubicon. He might do it again. There is no going back to what it was, and leaders will discuss it,” one EU diplomat told Reuters, adding that the bloc needed to move away from its heavy reliance on the US in many areas.
“We need to try to keep him close while working on becoming more independent from the US. It is a process – probably a long one.”
