NUUK, Jan. 23 (Reuters) – In an effort to express support for the Arctic island that US President Donald Trump wishes to acquire, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen traveled to Greenland on Friday.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed Frederiksen when she stepped off her plane at the airport in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. Before leaving in their car, the two were spotted cuddling on the tarmac.
After meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte earlier in the day to discuss how the military alliance can improve security in the larger Arctic region, Frederiksen took a direct flight from Brussels to Nuuk.
The Danish kingdom’s autonomous area is Greenland. The island and its sovereignty are not for sale, according to the two governments, but they are willing to discuss other issues like security and economic growth.While strolling alongside Nielsen in the heart of Nuuk, Frederiksen informed reporters, “We are getting ready for the next steps.” “I’m first and foremost here to show our strong support for Greenland’s people as a difficult time.”
Following discussions with Rutte, who stated that partners will need to increase efforts to fend off threats from China and Russia, Trump announced on Thursday that he had secured complete and permanent U.S. access to Greenland. Treaties already grant the U.S. military broad access to Greenland, but since the end of the Cold War, Washington has reduced its presence there to a single, tiny post.
Due to Trump’s demands that Greenland become U.S. territory, his refusal to rule out using military action to acquire it, and his announcement of increased taxes on European nations that opposed, the island’s future has caused a crisis in transatlantic relations.
After he removed the proposed levies on Thursday and lifted the threat of using force on Wednesday, the crisis abated. “We agree that NATO must increase its engagement in the Arctic,” he said. In a social media post, Frederiksen shared a picture of herself and Rutte in Brussels along with the statement, “Defense and security in the Arctic is a matter for the entire alliance.”
Rutte stated that he was collaborating with the Danish leader to improve defense and deterrence.
Danish and American officials met in Washington on Thursday to develop a plan for the future, according to a statement made by Denmark’s foreign minister on Friday.
“We will not communicate when those (future) meetings are, because what is needed now is to take the drama out of this… we need a calm process,” stated Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the foreign minister.
According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Rutte and Trump had decided to hold more discussions between the United States, Denmark, and Greenland regarding the revision of a 1951 agreement governing American military presence and access on the Arctic island.
