The talks come after Trump ramped up his rhetoric on Greenland in a series of saber-rattling statements in recent days following his administration’s bombing raid on the Venezuelan capital and capture of leader Nicolás Maduro.
In a sign of the increasing diplomatic activity, Motzfeldt and Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen will travel to Brussels on Monday for a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Both Copenhagen and Greenland, a self-ruling Danish territory, have rejected Trump’s designs on the island, which he has repeatedly stated is vital to American security interests.
“I’d love to make a deal with them. It’s easier. But one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland,” Trump said aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that a U.S. invasion would lead to the end of NATO. European leaders have also pledged their support for Greenland’s right to self-determination, amid fears U.S. operation in Venezuela on Jan. 3 could embolden Trump to go after Greenland next.