Trump says Greenland issue will ‘work out’ despite unresolved dispute with Denmark

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday left open the possibility of a negotiated outcome over Greenland, even as Denmark’s top diplomat said talks at the White House failed to alter the administration’s desire to take control of the island.

The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland — the vast Arctic territory that is autonomous but remains under Danish sovereignty — met with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. The meeting was requested by Copenhagen to clear up what officials described as “misunderstandings” following Trump’s increasingly bellicose rhetoric toward the NATO ally.

Trump did not attend the meeting but struck a more conciliatory tone afterward, acknowledging Denmark’s interests while again refusing to rule out any option.

“I have a very good relationship with Denmark, and we’ll see how it all works out. I think something will work out,” Trump said, without elaborating.

He repeated claims that Denmark would be powerless if Russia or China sought to occupy Greenland, but added, “There’s everything we can do.”

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said the talks made clear that Washington’s position remains unchanged.

“We didn’t manage to change the American position. It’s clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland,” Lokke told reporters. “We therefore still have a fundamental disagreement, but we also agree to disagree.”

Lokke said the issue is deeply emotional for both Greenlanders and Danes, noting Denmark’s long-standing alliance with the United States and shared military sacrifices in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“Ideas that would not respect the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the right of self-determination of the Greenlandic people are, of course, totally unacceptable,” he said.

Despite the disagreement, Lokke described the tone of the talks as “constructive” and said the sides agreed to form a committee that will meet within weeks to explore whether progress is possible.

“I am not a Chamberlain to say ‘peace for our time,’” Lokke said, referring to Britain’s pre-war appeasement of Nazi Germany. “But we must seize the opportunities that present themselves.”

Mocking tone from the White House

As the meeting was underway, the White House posted a mocking message on X reading, “Which way, Greenland man?” alongside a cartoon depicting two dogsleds — one heading toward the White House and a large US flag, the other toward Chinese and Russian flags over a stormy Kremlin and Great Wall.

Neither China nor Russia has made claims on Greenland. Lokke said no Chinese ship has been spotted near the island in a decade and that there are no major Chinese investments there.

Ahead of the meeting, Denmark pledged to further increase its military presence on the sparsely populated but strategically important island. Trump has previously dismissed Danish security efforts as amounting to “two dogsleds,” a characterization Denmark rejects, saying it has invested nearly $14 billion in Arctic security.

Denmark also announced immediate military exercises involving aircraft, naval vessels and ground troops, with Sweden participating. Germany and France, in a show of solidarity, said they would also send troops to Greenland. Germany’s defense ministry said it would deploy a 13-member team.

Public reaction

In Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, red-and-white Greenlandic flags were visible in shop windows, on apartment balconies, and on vehicles as residents followed developments in Washington.

“I am more calm now, and I feel more safe,” said Ivaana Egede Larsen, 43. “I had felt very much unsafe lately.”

In Copenhagen, Thomas Fallesen, 56, said the talks marked an improvement in tone.

“They are now at least talking together instead of talking through the press. I think it’s a very positive thing,” he said.

Vance, who last year criticized Denmark as a “bad ally” during an uninvited visit to Greenland, is known for his confrontational style, including a public rebuke of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office in February. Wednesday’s meeting, however, was closed to the press.

Trump has appeared increasingly emboldened on Greenland — which he views as part of America’s strategic backyard — since ordering a deadly January 3 operation in Venezuela that resulted in the removal of President Nicolás Maduro.