It was a contentious, aggressive phone name, 5 days earlier than the inauguration of President Trump on Jan. 20.
Talking to Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark, Mr. Trump insisted he needed the US to take over Greenland, the large and autonomous Danish island that occupies a strategic a part of the ocean because the ice caps soften and new delivery lanes open up.
The tone and content material of the icy change was described by two European officers who have been briefed on the 45-minute name and requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject. The US has not publicly commented on the decision.
Ms. Frederiksen made numerous ideas for extra cooperation on navy and financial points, however insisted that Greenland, which already hosts an necessary American base, was not on the market, in keeping with the European officers.
Since that Jan. 15 name, whose aggressive tenor was earlier reported by The Monetary Occasions, Denmark has tried to calm the waters, urging its companions within the European Union to not inflame the scenario till issues develop into extra clear, the officers mentioned. The difficulty of Greenland shouldn’t be on the agenda for an E.U. international affairs council assembly in Brussels on Monday, for instance.
If Mr. Trump decides to stress Denmark with financial means, by tariffs, the European Union itself could be anticipated to reply as an entire with countertariffs, mentioned Zaki Laïdi, a professor at Sciences Po and an adviser to the previous E.U. international coverage chief, Josep Borrell Fontelles.
“I used to be advised that Trump is sort of severe about Greenland, and it’s going to be an enormous problem for the E.U., if we don’t react strongly to it,” Mr. Laïdi mentioned. He confirmed that “the Danes are saying, ‘Hold it down,’ however they’re scared.”
That sense of foreboding was apparent in Davos, Switzerland, the place European leaders gathered final week with company executives and teachers for the World Financial Discussion board’s annual assembly. Rumors about Mr. Trump’s name with Ms. Frederiksen have been rampant on the gathering, as was nervousness about what a second Trump administration will imply for Europe as an entire.
For now, the Danes are concentrating on dialogue. On Friday, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Denmark’s international minister and prime minister in the course of the first Trump administration, had a 20-minute phone dialogue with the brand new U.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio. Afterward, Mr. Rasmussen mentioned that the 2 international locations had agreed to debate “the Arctic area” and that the dialog, which included different points like Ukraine, had a “good and constructive tone.”
The State Division, for its half, mentioned that Mr. Rubio had “reaffirmed the power of the connection” between the 2 international locations. The 2 males, the State Division mentioned, “mentioned the significance of deepening bilateral and regional cooperation on safety and protection, financial and commerce issues, and ending the battle in Ukraine.”
Formally, Denmark has mentioned little concerning the cellphone name between Mr. Trump and Ms. Frederiksen. A statement from Ms. Frederiksen’s workplace instantly afterward made no point out of sharp disagreements however emphasised commerce with the US and talked of cooperation, dialogue and enhanced funding in safety by Denmark.
“Within the dialog, the Prime Minister emphasised the significance of strengthening safety within the Arctic, and that the Kingdom of Denmark is able to shoulder even larger duty for this,” the assertion mentioned. Within the assertion, Ms. Frederiksen cited the chairman of the Greenlandic Parliament, Mute Egede, saying that Greenland shouldn’t be on the market and argued that “it’s as much as Greenland itself to decide on independence.”
The officers who have been briefed on the cellphone name and Mr. Laïdi prompt that Mr. Trump’s intentions have been unclear, and that he would possibly transfer to encourage Greenlanders to vote for independence in a referendum after which to bind themselves to the US. Or he could wish to stress Denmark and the European Union with tariffs. Brussels is working with the Danes to strike the correct tone and to determine what Mr. Trump actually needs, one official mentioned.
In a response to questions on Sunday, the Danish prime minister’s workplace mentioned it did “not acknowledge the interpretation of the dialog given by nameless sources.”
Below a 2009 settlement with Denmark, Greenland can declare independence solely after a profitable referendum — which Mr. Egede has prompt may be held in tandem with the island’s upcoming parliamentary election in April.
Mr. Trump has known as U.S. management over Greenland “an absolute necessity” for Western safety, and on Saturday, in a gaggle with reporters, mentioned “I believe we’re going to have it.”
Friis Arne Petersen, a former Danish ambassador to Washington, mentioned that “Europe, Greenland and the remainder of the world should take Donald Trump’s statements very critically, as a result of they have been fastidiously ready.”
“The phrases used and their context left no room for interpretation,” he mentioned in an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro. Mr. Trump’s curiosity in Greenland was extra industrial in his first time period — when he first provided to purchase it — however is now predominantly about safety, Mr. Petersen mentioned.
The difficulty of Greenland “is of the utmost significance to the E.U.,” Mr. Laïdi mentioned. “Our credibility is at stake. The Danish wish to maintain a low profile however that’s not the way in which the world works.”
Greenland, with a inhabitants of round 60,000, was a Danish colony till it grew to become self-ruling with its personal Parliament in 1979. It stays a territory of Denmark, with Copenhagen exercising management over its international and protection coverage.
