COPENHAGEN (AFP)—The Danish government issued a firm rebuttal on Thursday regarding U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims of a negotiated ‘framework’ concerning Greenland, explicitly stating that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte possesses no authority to negotiate on Denmark’s behalf. This declaration came just one day after Trump announced he had abandoned earlier threats to forcibly acquire the autonomous Danish territory and instead reached a preliminary agreement following discussions with Rutte at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen emphasized the nation’s position in a televised statement, clarifying, ‘The position of Denmark and that of Greenland are the same, and no negotiations were held yesterday with NATO about our sovereignty.’ She reiterated that sovereignty is non-negotiable, asserting that only the governments of Denmark and Greenland itself are empowered to make decisions concerning their territory.
While details of the discussed arrangement remain undisclosed, a source familiar with the Trump-Rutte dialogue revealed that the United States and Denmark are set to renegotiate a longstanding 1951 defense pact pertaining to Greenland. The same source confirmed that the highly sensitive topic of placing U.S. military bases on the island under American sovereignty was not part of the discussions.
Echoing the Prime Minister’s sentiments, Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen took to social media to affirm that Rutte ‘cannot negotiate an agreement on behalf of Denmark or Greenland.’ Despite this, Poulsen acknowledged Rutte’s ‘loyal work to maintain unity within NATO’ and described it as ‘very positive’ that the alliance is seeking to enhance Arctic security measures. He concluded with a definitive national stance: ‘We have a clear red line. We will not cede sovereignty over parts of the kingdom.’