WASHINGTON, D.C. — There is a diplomatic fight going on between the US and Denmark because reports say that people with ties to the Trump administration have been trying to start a pro-secession movement in Greenland.
On Wednesday, Danish public broadcaster DR said that at least three Americans with ties to President Trump were secretly trying to sway people on the Arctic island. The report, which used anonymous government and security sources, said that the people wanted to “infiltrate Greenlandic society” and damage its ties with Denmark. The story said that one of the Americans had been making names of Greenlanders who were for or against Trump’s offers to buy the island.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called acting U.S. Ambassador Mark Stroh to let him know that Copenhagen strongly disagreed. Rasmussen said, “Of course, any attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the Kingdom will be unacceptable,” and that Denmark “will not accept covert operations on our territory.”
The U.S. State Department has tried to separate the government from the acts that are being talked about. The government said in a statement, “The U.S. Government does not control or direct the actions of private citizens.” The statement made it clear once again that the U.S. “respects the right of the people of Greenland to decide their own future.” A White House insider told CBS News, “We think the Danes need to calm down.”
This new event makes the already tense situation between Washington and Copenhagen over Greenland even worse. President Trump has said many times since he took office that he wants to buy the land because of its strategic position and rich mineral resources. Denmark and Greenland have always said no to the notion. Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the leader of Greenland, said, “We don’t belong to anyone else.” We are in charge of our own future.
The Danish intelligence and security service has said that Greenland is a target for “influence campaigns of various kinds” that want to “make the relationship between Denmark and Greenland worse.”