Greenland warns of ‘red lines’ in talks with US

A working group from the Arctic island has begun discussions with Washington and Copenhagen

Greenland has clear “red lines” it will not cross in talks over its future with the US, the island’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, has said.

The autonomous Danish territory has been at the center of a transatlantic rift since US President Donald Trump announced plans to annex it, citing its mineral wealth and strategic location, while refusing to rule out force and threatening tariffs on opponents of the plan. Last week, however, Trump softened his tone, announcing that he and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte had agreed on a “framework” for a deal on Greenland and Arctic security.

Denmark and Greenland later formed a high-level working group with the US to discuss the proposed deal.

Speaking at a conference at Paris’ Sciences Po University on Wednesday, Nielsen said the working group had already started meeting and signaled openness to cooperation with Washington on Arctic security but stressed that Greenland and Denmark would stand firm on key issues.

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“I will not go into details about what might be included in such an agreement. But the conclusion is already written: there are red lines we cannot cross, from a Greenlandic perspective,” Nielsen said, echoing Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who, speaking alongside him, insisted the island’s sovereignty is non-negotiable.

“We will try to find a way forward with the US. We share concerns about Arctic security. But the conclusion must be on the table from the beginning… that you can never compromise on democratic values. One of the most basic is that territorial integrity must be respected,” she said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Wednesday that technical talks involving Greenland, Denmark, and the US are now underway, noting they will be held behind closed doors to avoid a “media circus.” Rubio insisted that the US does not plan to use military force against Greenland, and said the issue would now move to a “professional, straightforward” diplomatic track.

READ MORE: Does Russia need Greenland’s resources?

Details of the framework agreement remain undisclosed. Rutte earlier said NATO members will ramp up Arctic security as part of the deal, presumably through an expanded US military presence. Trump wrote on Truth Social that discussions will also include deployment of his multilayered Golden Dome missile defense system, promising more information as talks progress.