Copenhagen, 16 January (H.S.): Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen has categorically ruled out any possibility of the United States acquiring Greenland, sharpening a diplomatic clash with Washington over President Donald Trump’s renewed push to bring the Arctic territory under U.S. control.

Rasmussen, speaking to Danish public broadcaster DR on Thursday, said that U.S. acquisition of Greenland was “out of the question,” stressing that such a move would violate international norms and directly infringe upon Danish and Greenlandic sovereignty.

He underlined that neither Denmark nor Greenland supports any transfer of the island and that cooperation with the U.S. must respect clear “red lines” on territorial integrity.

The remarks came after high‑level talks at the White House between U.S., Danish and Greenlandic officials ended without a breakthrough, leaving what Rasmussen described as a “fundamental disagreement” over the island’s future.

Trump has repeatedly argued that only the U.S. can secure Greenland against Russia and China, insisting that Washington “needs Greenland for national security” and has not ruled out more forceful options if diplomatic efforts stall.

Tensions have risen as several European NATO allies, including Germany, France, Sweden and Norway, begin deploying small contingents of troops to Greenland for joint exercises and an expanded rotational presence through 2026, coordinated with Denmark.

Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen has framed the build‑up as a necessary response to a more unpredictable Arctic security environment and a visible signal that safeguarding Greenland is a shared NATO responsibility, not an American prerogative.

Greenland’s leaders, while open to additional U.S. bases under Danish sovereignty, have condemned suggestions of a takeover and voiced frustration that both Washington and Copenhagen often sideline Inuit perspectives in strategic decisions about the island.

Analysts note that Trump’s escalating rhetoric and controversial White House graphics portraying Greenland at a geopolitical “crossroads” have further galvanized Danish and European resolve to block any change in the territory’s status.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar