The highest-ranking American diplomat from the US embassy in Copenhagen has been summoned due to reports of Americans attempting to disrupt relations between Denmark and Greenland through influence campaigns. The US President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his belief that Greenland should become part of the United States.
The Danish public radio and television station DR reported on findings by Danish intelligence services that men with ties to the White House were attempting to infiltrate Greenland. One of them, for example, allegedly worked in Greenland on a list of names of local citizens who could support Mr Trump’s plans to take over the world’s largest island. According to DR, Americans were also planning to recruit people for a separatist movement that would demand severing ties with Denmark.
Attempts to portray Denmark in a negative light
According to Danish authorities, at least one American also encouraged Greenlanders to report on topics that could be used to portray Denmark in a negative light in US media. In addition, this person also collected the names of people who oppose the US president.
Danish authorities have registered at least three Americans conducting covert influence operations in Greenland. Some Danish officials label such activity “infiltration”. “We are all concerned about this. Of course we are,” one of the eight sources cited by DR told the station. At the same time, DR notes that it has not yet been able to determine whether the Americans are acting on their own initiative or on orders.
The White House has not yet responded to questions about whether it gave instructions to Americans to conduct influence operations in Greenland.
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“The problem has not disappeared”
“The affair shows that the problem (of the US interest in Greenland) has by no means disappeared and that it is still very much something that needs to be addressed,” mentioned Mikkel Runge Olesen, senior researcher from the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) in an article published by DR.
The problem of US interest in Greenland is still very much something that needs to be addressed. — Mikkel Runge Olesen, researcher from the Danish Institute for International Studies
Donald Trump justifies his plans to acquire Greenland by US national security interests. He did not rule out the use of military force. The island, with an area of 2.17 million km2, is of great geostrategic importance and also has vast reserves of various minerals. Great majority of Greenland’s inhabitants reject Trump’s plans. The January 2025 opinion poll, however, showed that some 56 per cent of Greenlanders are in favour of independence from Denmark.
Greenland, now inhabited by approximately 56,000 people, was a Danish colony until the 1950s and gained partial autonomy in 1979 when its parliament was established. Copenhagen still controls Greenland’s foreign affairs, defense, and monetary policy. In 2009, Greenland was given the opportunity to declare full independence based on a referendum.
