Greenland, Denmark Wary of Trump's Influence Push

Greenlandic and Danish officials have reportedly grown worried about President Donald Trump’s interest in exerting influence over Greenland through U.S. military expansion and foreign investment interference.

Over the last four months, senior Trump administration officials have held closed-door talks with negotiators from Greenland and Denmark, which oversees Greenland’s foreign affairs, about the future of the semi-autonomous island, the New York Times reported Monday.

The meetings, which began after Trump threatened to take over Greenland, sparking an international furor, center on the president’s desire for the U.S. to take a more active role on the island because its position in the Arctic Circle makes it a valuable place to bolster U.S. military presence, dig for natural resources and control shipping lanes.

But Greenlandic officials are reportedly not pleased with the proposed expansion, which includes allowing the U.S. to approve or reject foreign countries’ investment deals in Greenland to box out China or Russia.

The Independent has asked the White House, State Department and U.S. Consulate in Nuuk for comment.

Over roughly five meetings in Washington, D.C., senior officials from the State Department have expressed Trump’s desire to Greenlandic officials in the hopes they can reach a deal before the Iran war ends and the president redirects his attention to Greenland.

Some Greenlandic officials reportedly hope to strike a deal with the U.S. before the president’s birthday, June 14, or Independence Day, July 4 – they fear he will return his attention to Greenland by then.

Other proposed changes, the New York Times reported, include modifying a longstanding agreement to allow U.S. troops to stay in Greenland even if the country becomes independent from Denmark; expanding the U.S. military presence on Greenland; and allowing the U.S. to dig for natural resources located beneath the ice in Greenland.

Greenlandic officials are reportedly not enthusiastic about the proposals that would give the U.S. greater influence in Greenland.

Pipaluk Lynge, a member of the Greenlandic parliament, told TVPWorld last month that lawmakers were afraid Trump would not let go of his goals in Greenland easily.

“I think it’s really important for us from Greenland to express that our wish is to be a sovereign nation, our wish is to be independent and to be respected, also, by the alliances if we’re still in alliance with the United States,” Lynge said.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens Frederick-Nielsen said last week that the U.S. and Greenland had already discussed expanding U.S. military presence under the existing framework. The BBC reported U.S. officials were trying to open three new military bases in southern Greenland.

Monday, Nielsen met with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, Trump’s special envoy to Greenland who was visiting the island.

Landry told Greenlandic media that he was there to “build relationships and to look and to listen and learn and to see if there are opportunities to expand the relationship between Greenland, the United States and Denmark.”

Nielsen said Greenland was open to cooperating with the U.S. but still made it clear that Greenland would not capitulate to Trump’s demands easily.

“The Greenlandic people are not for sale. Greenlandic self-determination is not something that can be negotiated,” Nielsen said on the Danish news outlet, TV 2, Monday, according to the Associated Press.

Officials familiar with the ongoing discussion told the New York Times that a deal has not been finalized.