NUUK: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen visited Greenland’s capital on Friday for talks with the territory’s leader, following a turbulent week during which US President Donald Trump withdrew threats to seize the Arctic island and agreed to enter negotiations.
Denmark has firmly rejected Trump’s claims that the United States must take control of Greenland to counter Chinese and Russian influence, pledging instead to strengthen its military presence on the island.
Frederiksen’s visit comes after two tense weeks for Denmark and Greenland, culminating in Trump announcing an agreement with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday, under which he abandoned plans for military action and tariffs against European allies.
“I’m here to show the strong support Danes have for Greenlanders,” Frederiksen told reporters.
“It’s a very difficult time, everyone can see that,” she said, adding they were working on preparing a “diplomatic response”.
Trump said only that the United States “gets everything we wanted” in the plan, which would be in force “forever”.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen emphasised on Friday that no detailed agreement had been finalised between President Trump and Rutte, describing their discussions instead as a “framework for a future agreement.”
He added, “Instead of those drastic ideas about needing to own Greenland… Trump now wishes to negotiate a solution.”
Frederiksen held talks with Rutte in Brussels on Friday, where they agreed “to enhance deterrence and defence in the Arctic,” Rutte wrote on X following their meeting.
Good to see 🇩🇰 PM Mette Frederiksen @Statsmin this morning in Brussels. We’re working together to ensure that the whole of NATO is safe & secure and will build on our cooperation to enhance deterrence & defence in the Arctic. Denmark continues to make robust contributions to our… pic.twitter.com/YQrd8JXxh9
— Mark Rutte (@SecGenNATO) January 23, 2026
Upon arriving in Nuuk, Frederiksen was greeted with a hug by Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, before being swiftly escorted into a car without addressing journalists.
Lokke noted that negotiations on the framework agreement would begin soon, with a primary focus on “security, security, and security.”
“We will get those meetings started fairly quickly. We will not communicate when those meetings are, because what is needed now is to take the drama out of this.”
