US special envoy to Greenland Jeff Landry on Friday said that he believes a deal over the territory could be reached, adding that President Donald Trump is “serious” about his plans.
“I do believe that there’s a deal that should and will be made once this plays out,” The Guardian quoted Landry as saying, noting that Trump has already communicated his intentions to Denmark.
“I think he’s laid the markers down. He’s told Denmark what he’s looking for, and now it’s a matter of having Secretary Rubio and Vice-President JD Vance make a deal,” he added.
Landry also confirmed plans to visit the Danish semiautonomous territory in March as discussions continue.
Denmark, Greenland push back
The leaders of Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly dismissed the idea of a US takeover of the island. Earlier this week, Denmark’s top diplomat, Anders Samuelsen Rasmussen, said the two countries “still had fundamental differences over Greenland’s future but would continue to talk.”
Greenland, the world’s largest island located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, is a self-governing Danish territory. President Trump has argued that the US needs control of the largely frozen island for national security, citing geopolitical threats from Russia and China, and has not ruled out military action.
Denmark, a member of the US-led Nato alliance, has seen European allies express concern over Trump’s rhetoric. On Thursday, Danish troops arrived in Greenland alongside forces from France, Germany, and the Netherlands to strengthen security.
“At the request of Denmark, I have decided that France will participate in the joint exercises organized by Denmark in Greenland, Operation Arctic Endurance,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a social media post Wednesday.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday that the presence of European troops “doesn’t impact Trump’s goal of the acquisition of Greenland at all.”
Earlier this month, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the UK, and Greenland issued a joint statement declaring “Greenland belongs to its people,” while reaffirming NATO’s commitment to Arctic security.
US congressional delegation visits Denmark
Meanwhile, a bipartisan US Congress delegation began a visit to Copenhagen on Friday to voice support for Denmark and Greenland after President Trump threatened to take over the Arctic islandry.
The two-day visit comes alongside a European show of support in the form of a military reconnaissance mission to Greenland.
The 11 congressmen and women were to hold talks with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
The group arrived at the Danish employers' association Dansk Industri around midday for discussions with business leaders.
They were due later to meet members of the Danish parliament, over which the Greenlandic flag was raised on Friday in a show of unity.
"We are showing bipartisan solidarity with the people of this country and with Greenland. They've been our friends and allies for decades," AFP quoted Democratic Senator Dick Durbin as telling reporters.
"We want them to know we appreciate that very much. And the statements being made by the president do not reflect what the American people feel," he added of Trump.
According to AFP, a large black van left Frederiksen's office in Copenhagen shortly before noon (1100 GMT) on Friday but her office declined to confirm whether the meeting had taken place.
The delegation's visit follows a meeting in Washington on Wednesday at which Danish representatives said Copenhagen and Washington were in "fundamental disagreement" over the future of Greenland.
In Greenland's capital Nuuk, residents welcomed the show of support.
"(US) Congress would never approve of a military action in Greenland. It's just one idiot speaking," a 39-year-old union representative told
"If he does it, he'll get impeached or kicked out. If people in Congress want to save their own democracy, they have to step up," said the union rep, speaking on condition of anonymity.
With inputs from agencies
