Danish Foreign Minister on Saturday scolded the Trump administration for criticizing Denmark and Greenland for its “tone”, saying his country has invested in Arctic security and maintained more cooperation with the United States
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen made remarks in a video posted on social media after U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited Strategic Island.
Rasmussen said in English: “Many allegations and many allegations have been raised. Of course, we are criticized.” “But let me be totally honest: we don’t appreciate the tone it conveys. It’s not how you speak to your close allies. I still think Denmark and the United States are close allies.”
Vance said on Friday that Denmark had “underinvestment” in Greenland’s security and asked Denmark to change its approach when U.S. President Donald Trump pushed for the takeover of Danish territory.
Vance, along with his wife and other senior U.S. officials, visited U.S. troops at the Pituffik Space Base in the mineral-rich Greenlandland, which eventually had no consultation on the original itinerary after the commotion between Greenlanders and Danes.
“The message we give Denmark is very simple: You don’t get a good job with the people of Greenland,” Vance said on Friday. “You invested in the people of Greenland and you invested in this incredible, beautiful land safe building, filled with incredible people. That has to change.”
Trump posted a video truth on his social networking site on Friday titled “US and Greenland,” showing footage of U.S. troops during World War II.
Vance said in Greenland that the United States had “no choice” but had to take a major stance to ensure the security of the island as he encouraged the promotion of independence away from Denmark in Greenland.
Get the daily national news
Get news, politics, economics and current events titles delivered to your inbox every day.
“I think they will eventually work with the United States,” Vance said. “We can make them safer. We can do more protection. I think they’ll be better financially.”
The response from Greenland parliament and residents makes this unlikely as the Trump administration attempts to annex the vast Arctic island. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen rejected Vance’s claim that Denmark’s defense ministry in the Arctic did not do enough, calling her country a “good and powerful ally.”
Greenland lawmakers agreed on Thursday to form a new government to jointly resist Trump’s proposal. Four of the five parties elected to the Greenland Parliament earlier this month agreed to form a coalition that will have 23 of 31 seats in the legislature.
The next day, King Frederik X of Denmark posted on Facebook: “We live in a changing reality. There is no doubt that my love for Greenland and my connection with the people of Greenland are intact.”
Hundreds of protesters showed some signs of weightlifting in the outskirts of Copenhagen, the Denmark capital, on Saturday at the U.S. Embassy, which said: “Back, the United States,” Danish Broadcasting Corporation TV2 reported.
People protested against pressure on Greenland and Denmark in front of the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen on March 29, 2025.
Nils Meilvang/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
Even Greenland’s national dog competition – Avannaata Qimussersu – started on Saturday with 37 mushy and 444 dogs without any impact.
Vice President’s wife Usha Vance, originally scheduled to opt out of the competition when her husband decided to join the tour and visit the military base, reducing the likelihood of them crossing the road with the Greenland crowd.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance and second wife Usha Vance arrived at the U.S. military’s Pituffik space base on March 28, 2025. The visits of Copenhagen and Nuuk were among the provocations of strategically occupied land, resource-rich Danish territory accompanied by President Donald Trump.
Jim Watson/Pool/AFP by Getty Images
Løkke Rasmussen reminds viewers in his video about the defense agreement between Denmark and the United States. He said that since 1945, the U.S. military presence in Greenland has declined, with thousands of soldiers on 17 bases and devices on the island, to the remote Pituffik space base in the northwest, which now has about 200 soldiers.
The 1951 agreement “provides the United States with a full opportunity to have a stronger military presence in Greenland,” the Foreign Minister said. “If that’s what you want, let’s discuss it.”
Løkke Rasmussen added that Denmark has increased its investment in Arctic defense. In January, Denmark announced its financial commitment of 14.6 billion Denmark Krona ($2.1 billion) covering three new naval vessels, long-range drones and satellites.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
