Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen noted this Thursday that the agreement on Greenland in which the United States works with NATO does not discuss Denmark’s sovereignty over that autonomous territory, as informed by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
“NATO absolutely knows the position of the Kingdom of Denmark. We can negotiate on everything political: security, investments, economy. But we cannot negotiate on our sovereignty. I have been informed that this has not been the case either. Of course, only Denmark and Greenland can make decisions on issues that concern Denmark and Greenland,” Frederiksen declared in a statement.
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Frederiksen highlighted that the Danish Government has coordinated its actions with that of Greenland throughout the process and has maintained a “close dialogue” with NATO, and that she herself spoke with Rutte “both before and after her meeting with President Donald Trump in Davos.”
Sunset over Nuuk, Greenland, January 21, 2026. Photo: EFE/EPA/MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN
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“The NATO secretary general does not have a mandate to negotiate on the part of Greenland, nor does he have a mandate to negotiate on the part of Denmark,” Frederiksen said in a subsequent interview with Danish public television DR and the TV2 channel.
The Danish Prime Minister reiterated that the red lines have always been the same: not to renounce sovereignty over Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and whose future is defined by the Greenlanders themselves.
“Security in the Arctic is a matter for all of NATO. That is why it is good and natural that it is also discussed between the Secretary General of the Alliance and the President of the United States. The Kingdom of Denmark has worked for a long time for NATO to increase its commitment in the Arctic,” the statement said.
In the subsequent interview, Frederiksen considered it positive that the member countries of the Alliance agree that there is a permanent military presence in the Arctic.
Protests in Nuuk, Greenland. Protesters hold Greenland flags and signs in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, on January 17.
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“We are still in a problematic and serious situation, but there has also been progress, in the sense that we have now put things in place, that is, we can discuss how to improve common security in the Arctic,” Frederiksen said in the interview.
Denmark wants to continue maintaining a “constructive” dialogue with its allies on how to strengthen security in the Arctic, including the “Golden Dome” anti-missile defense system, “assuming that it takes place with respect for our territorial integrity,” the Danish Prime Minister added in the statement.
The head of the White House, Donald Trump, had announced the day before at the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland) a “really fantastic” agreement with NATO on the Arctic island: “We have everything we wanted.”
Images created by technology show Donald Trump usurping the territories of other countries.
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In statements to journalists before leaving the Davos Congress Center, the president assured that it is “an agreement for national and international security” and “long-term.”
According to the US president, the text of this agreement will be made public soon, since the details are still being worked on, although he added that it is in an advanced phase.
Frederiksen plans to travel to London this Thursday to meet with his British colleague, Keir Starmer, and will then travel to Brussels to participate in the extraordinary summit of European Union leaders on the issue of Greenland and the United States.
