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Talks between the U.S., Denmark and Greenland are on a “good trajectory,” a White House official said, despite a public dispute over President Donald Trump’s insistence that the United States should take control of the island.
Technical talks are ongoing, the official told Fox News Digital Wednesday, “to address United States’ national security interests in Greenland.”
“We are not going to participate in a back and forth through the media, but we are very optimistic that we’re on a good trajectory,” the official said.
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The optimism comes after Trump said recently that Denmark and Greenland have resisted his proposal.
“We want Greenland. They don’t want to give it to us,” he said.
The dispute centers on Greenland’s growing strategic importance, as the island sits along the shortest route between North America and Europe and plays a key role in U.S. missile warning systems and Arctic defense. Trump has argued greater U.S. control is necessary to counter Russia and China’s expanding presence in the region.
The United States already maintains a military presence in Greenland under a 1951 defense agreement with Denmark, which allows U.S. forces to operate bases on the island as part of NATO’s collective defense framework.
The U.S. operates Pituffik Space Base in Greenland — a key installation for missile warning and space surveillance — and retains broad rights to expand its military footprint in coordination with Danish authorities.
U.S. officials have recently explored expanding that presence further, including seeking access to additional sites and increasing operational capabilities in the Arctic, with discussions underway as tensions over Greenland have grown.
Representatives for Denmark’s and Greenland’s governments did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, which retains responsibility for defense and foreign policy — exposing a rift within the NATO alliance.
European leaders have rejected any change to Greenland’s status, emphasizing that the island’s sovereignty is not up for negotiation and backing Denmark’s authority over the territory.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told NBC News in an interview published Wednesday the island’s residents “don’t feel safe” amid Trump’s repeated push for ownership.
The dispute already has moved beyond rhetoric. Denmark has expanded its military presence in Greenland, while European allies have stepped up Arctic exercises and coordination following the president’s push to take control of the island.
“Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and the U.S. shall not take over Greenland,” Danish and Greenlandic leaders said in a joint statement in December 2025.
Former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance remains prepared to defend Greenland under its collective defense framework.
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“NATO is there to protect all allied territory, including Greenland,” Stoltenberg, now Norway’s finance minister, told Fox News Digital.
Trump has justified his push by pointing to growing activity in the Arctic, arguing the United States needs greater control over Greenland to counter Russia and China.
Russia has expanded its military footprint across the region, reopening and modernizing Cold War-era bases along its northern coast and increasing air and naval patrols. China, which has declared itself a “near-Arctic state,” has expanded its presence through research stations, icebreaker fleets and joint projects with Moscow, including cooperation on energy and shipping routes.
The two countries also have deepened coordination in the region, including joint military exercises and broader cooperation in Arctic development and infrastructure.
Stoltenberg pushed back on suggestions that the West is losing its strategic edge in the Arctic to Russia and China.
“We are scaling up our presence and our capabilities in the Arctic to make sure there is no room for misunderstanding,” he said.
The broader challenge for NATO is responding to growing Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic while also managing a rift within the alliance itself over Greenland’s sovereignty.
Greenland’s location along the shortest path between North America and Europe makes it central to U.S. and NATO missile defense systems, with early-warning radar installations helping detect incoming ballistic missiles traveling over the Arctic.
At the same time, melting Arctic ice is opening new shipping lanes and access to natural resources, increasing the region’s economic and strategic value and drawing greater attention from both Russia and China.
The tensions over Greenland come as broader strains within NATO have been exposed by the Iran conflict, where Trump accused European allies of failing to support U.S. operations.
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“NATO wasn’t there for us, and they won’t be there for us in the future!” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday.
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