Media Monitor: Greenland official calls US base ownership a 'red line'

USA TODAY is reporting that a senior Greenlandic official has stated that President Donald Trump's insistence that the United States will effectively take ownership of U.S. military bases in Greenland, making them sovereign U.S. land, is a "red line." The official also said her government had not been "presented with anything" following a turbulent diplomatic week where Trump walked back threats to take control of the Arctic island by force.

These comments follow what Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte described as an agreed "framework deal" on Greenland, announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos. However, days after the announcement, top Greenlandic and European officials remained unclear about the specifics of the deal. Trump had previously threatened to impose tariffs on European nations that opposed his attempt to control Greenland, but he later said he would not use force.

The Greenlandic official stated that her government only had talks with NATO after Trump and Rutte had already met, and she stressed that NATO "does not have a jurisdiction or mandate" to discuss Greenland's sovereignty. This aligns with statements from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who said Denmark could negotiate on most issues related to Greenland but not its sovereignty.

Despite these clarifications, Trump signaled in interviews that taking ownership of land in Greenland where American bases are located was what he expected. He had previously pressured Denmark to hand over the entire island, stating that nothing short of ownership would be acceptable. The United States currently has one base in Greenland, the Pituffik Space Base. Under a current U.S.-Denmark defense agreement, the Pentagon can expand its military footprint with consent from Greenland and Denmark. Trump has argued that the U.S. needs Greenland to counter threats from Russia and China. The official added that Greenland would "have no problem" with NATO adding a permanent mission to Greenland for Arctic security, which she considered a good solution. She also expressed that Trump's threats had caused deep anxiety in Greenland and that her government's mission is to get things back on track through dialogue.