The United States, Denmark, and Greenland officials have officially initiated diplomatic negotiations at the technical level to address the U.S.’s security concerns in the Arctic region while respecting sovereignty.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, January 28th, that the relevant negotiation process has officially begun.
“The negotiations start today, and this will be an ongoing process,” Rubio said. “We will strive to prevent each dialogue from turning into a media circus every time, as we believe this can create more flexibility for both parties to achieve positive outcomes.”
Former U.S. President Trump has repeatedly sought to control Greenland, primarily out of concerns that the expanding influence of China and Russia in the region would threaten national security.
Due to fears that U.S. control of Greenland could trigger a trade war between the U.S. and Europe, potentially causing a rift in NATO, Wall Street experienced its largest single-day decline in months.
NATO, a transatlantic military alliance consisting of 32 member countries, has been a crucial pillar of global security since World War II. Against this backdrop, Trump has walked back tariff threats and softened his rhetoric.
Last week, during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump announced that acquiring Greenland by military means was no longer an option and withdrew tariff threats against countries like Denmark that opposed his plans.
On Wednesday, the Danish Foreign Ministry confirmed to Reuters that senior officials from the U.S., Denmark, and Greenland have met to discuss how to address U.S. concerns about Arctic security while respecting Denmark’s sovereignty.
Before the diplomatic process began, the three parties had already worked to ease tensions through various mediators. Earlier this month, the Foreign Ministers of Denmark and Greenland met with Vice President JD Vance and Rubio in Washington, agreeing to establish a working group. Additionally, with the assistance of NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, the two sides reached a preliminary framework agreement on the development rights of this resource-rich island.
Regarding the future direction of the negotiations, Rubio remains optimistic, stating that although there is still much work to be done, he believes a positive outcome will eventually be achieved.
“We still have some work to do, but I think it will ultimately lead to a good result, and I think you will soon hear the same sentiments from our counterparts in Europe,” Rubio said.