Adrienne Murray<\/span>Copenhagen<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Danish PM Mette Frederiksen is visiting Greenland’s capital Nuuk for talks with the territory’s leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, after a rollercoaster week that saw US President Donald Trump roll back his threats to forcibly take over the Arctic island and agree to further negotiations.<\/p>\n Tensions had risen precariously over the past couple of weeks, until a stunning turnaround on Wednesday, when Trump suddenly ruled out military action, and withdrew his threats to slap tariffs on several European allies.<\/p>\n Trump posted on social media that a “framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland” had been reached, following his meeting with Nato chief Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum in Davos.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n However, few details have been given, and there are questions about what exactly was agreed between the US president and the secretary general.<\/p>\n The Danish prime minister travelled directly from Brussels, where she also met face-to-face with Rutte earlier on Friday morning. According to Rutte’s post on X, they agreed “to enhance deterrence and defence in the Arctic”.<\/p>\n After landing at Nuuk airport, Frederiksen was greeted on the tarmac by Nielsen, who gave her a hug.<\/p>\n “I am first and foremost in Greenland today to show our strong Danish support for the Greenlandic people,” she told reporters. “It’s a very difficult time, everyone can see that.”<\/p>\n “It is a serious situation we are in. Everyone can see that. Now there is a diplomatic, political track that we will pursue,” she said. Her trip was a “working” visit to prepare their “next steps,” she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n On Thursday, Trump told Fox News that the US “gets everything we want at no cost” and that a “piece” of his planned “Golden Dome” missile defence system would be placed on Greenland.<\/p>\n When asked if this was an actual “acquisition”, he answered: “It’s total access. There’s no end, there’s no time limit.”<\/p>\n Previously the New York Times reported that one idea under discussion was Denmark ceding sovereignty over small pockets of land where the US would build military bases.<\/p>\n Danish and Greenlandic officials have pushed back strongly against giving up any form of ownership, and repeatedly stated that sovereignty is a “red line”.<\/p>\n Ahead of an emergency European summit in the Belgian capital on Thursday evening, Frederiksen said that Greenland’s sovereignty was non-negotiable, though Denmark was willing to work on “security”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The US has around 150 military personnel at its single Pituffik base in the north-western tip of the territory.<\/p>\n Under a defence pact with Denmark, dating back to 1951, the US can already build up its military presence and deploy further troops.<\/p>\n That was updated in 2004, jointly with the Bush administration, to include Greenland as an equal partner to the deal.<\/p>\n AFP has reported that sources familiar with talks had said the US and Denmark would renegotiate the 1951 agreement.<\/p>\n Danish national newspaper Berlingske also writes that a renegotiation is possible, that the Danish and Greenlandic sides have not ruled out revising that deal. However, mineral rights or the surrender of territory have never been on the table.<\/p>\n The BBC has reached out to Denmark’s Ministry of Defence, which declined to comment.<\/p>\n Meanwhile Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Friday there had been no detailed plan, but that negotiations would start soon, focusing on “security, security, and security”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20260113-125315-2e65791d43-web-2.37.1-4\/grey-placeholder.png\")
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Reuters<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Reuters](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/d13e\/live\/5225c3a0-f889-11f0-a422-4ba8a094a8fa.jpg.webp\")
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