Not for Sale – the Kingdom of Denmark Stands its Ground

Even among the Nordics, the Danes are known for their characteristic directness. This might explain the rationale behind the Prime Ministers of Denmark and Greenland’s gambit to send their Foreign Ministers to Washington to confront, head-on, President Donald Trump’s desire to own Greenland. While the meeting ended in an agreement to disagree and the establishment of a high-level working group to manage the issue, this move was not without risk and could have easily ended badly. No doubt stirring in the casements of Elsinore Castle, Holger the Dane – the legendary Viking who will awaken, it is said, from his long slumber if Denmark is ever threated – is preparing to bare his sword.

Denmark and Greenland’s relative success in Washington was not easily achieved. Behind it lies months of careful, well-orchestrated diplomacy that validates the value of statecraft and offers important lessons on how deal with the current US administration and its single-minded President.

The first lesson is in how Denmark and Greenland reclaimed the narrative. In the run-up to the meeting, the White House launched an information operation designed to portray Denmark as delinquent in its constitutional responsibility to provide for the security of Greenland. In fact, in 2025 alone, Denmark allocated $13.7bn to initiatives and capabilities for operations in the Arctic and North Atlantic including maritime patrol aircraft, surface vessels and satellite surveillance. The US also falsely claimed that there has been an increase in Russian and Chinese presence in and around Greenland, with a post from the White House X account depicting Greenland’s failure to choose the US over Denmark as the equivalent of walking into Russia and China’s hands. Actually, there has been little to no Chinese and Russian military activity around Greenland over the last decade. As Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide reminded, what Russian or Chinese presence there is in the Arctic is located on the Russian side at Russian bases in the Kola peninsula, which is much closer to the coast of Norway.

A second skilful step was for Denmark and Greenland to call on friends and seek strength in numbers. Many European nations, as well as Canada and Australia, voiced support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, underscoring that the future of Greenland is a matter for the people of Greenland and Denmark to decide. Still others – including France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the UK – pledged to send troops to Greenland for exercises to address the alleged security gap and, ostensibly, act as a deterrent against US military action. This show of solidarity and commitment is important, but it must be followed through upon to avoid giving the US yet another example of European talk without action, and continued dependence on the US for its security.

Yet perhaps the most powerful brake on Trump’s Greenland ambition is found in the US, where Denmark and Greenland have garnered significant support. Polls show that only 4% of Americans support taking Greenland by military force. Of US efforts to acquire the country, far more disapprove (73%) than approve (17%). Bipartisan support from the US Congress has been even more forceful and impactful. Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), leaders of the Senate NATO Observer’s Group, issued a joint statement noting that, ‘The United States must honour its treaty obligations and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.’ Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) stated that the use of force to seize the sovereign territory of a US ally would be ‘an especially catastrophic act of strategic self-harm’. Ahead of Denmark and Greenland’s meeting with US counterparts, another bipartisan group of US Senators introduced legislation prohibiting military action against fellow NATO members. While less public, Denmark has also benefited from significant support among the US military, many of whom fought and bled alongside Danish soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. US forces also work side-by-side with their Danish and Greenlandic counterparts on exercises and joint operations in the region and operations at Pituffik Space Base, a relationship that dates to the 1951 Mutual Defense Agreement between the US and Denmark.

The final element that delivered success was unity between Denmark and Greenland. While Greenland retains its long-term ambition for full independence from Denmark, Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen made clear Greenland’s preference to remain part of the Kingdom of Denmark for the foreseeable future, noting that now is not the time for internal discussion and divisions, but rather a time for to stand together. Since the 2009 Act on Greenland Self-Government, Greenland has acquired more autonomy at home and, more recently, a greater voice in its foreign and security policy. Going forward, it is vital that Denmark, supported by its NATO and EU partners, continue to respect Greenland’s voice and support it on the path to eventual independence. If not, US threats of annexation may gain new momentum, forcing the great sleeping Viking hero to awake.

© RUSI, 2026.

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