The fear among some diplomats and officials is that Trump could use the greater visibility of Denmark, which counts Greenland as a territory, to dial up his provocations. Copenhagen is trying to keep a low profile, instead talking up its EU agenda on migration, defense, security and climate.
Since taking office, Trump has made outlandish claims on Greenland, citing security reasons for aiming to gain control over the mineral-rich, self-ruling Danish territory — and even threatening repeatedly to use military force. “We’ll get Greenland. Yeah, 100 percent,” he told CNN as late as March.
Trump might resort to similar sound and fury “if the focus [on Denmark] is much higher and if Donald Trump really finds out what the [EU Council] presidency is,” said Rasmus Grand Berthelsen, senior director at Rasmussen Global, a political consultancy firm.
Renewed escalation on the issue would inadvertently draw in the European Union and its national member governments even more.
“Clearly, with the Danish presidency, the topic of Greenland sovereignty will naturally become even more prominent,” Brando Benifei, chair of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with the United States, told POLITICO. But “it is already a red line for the European governments and for all the institutions: Any attack to Greenland freedoms is an attack to Europe.”
Denmark has been working hard to avoid further confrontation with the U.S. on the issue.
