Trump says anything less than U.S. control of Greenland is ‘unacceptable’ ahead of crunch talks

The Trump administration is poised for crunch talks with Greenlandic and Danish officials on Wednesday, amid the U.S. president’s ongoing push to take control of Greenland.

Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt and her Danish counterpart, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, are expected to convene at the White House for talks with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Trump doubled down on his aggressive rhetoric shortly before the high-stakes meeting. In a social media post on Wednesday, the U.S. president said anything less than Greenland becoming a part of the United States would be “unacceptable.”

“The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security. It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building. NATO should be leading the way for us to get it,” Trump said on Truth Social.

“NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES. Anything less than that is unacceptable,” he added. In a subsequent social media post, Trump said only the U.S. could counter an alleged threat from Russia and China to the island.

His comments come just one day after Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen portrayed a united front against Trump’s takeover threats.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Copenhagen on Tuesday, Greenland’s Nielsen said that if the self-governing Danish territory must choose between the U.S. and Denmark, “we choose Denmark.”

Frederiksen also said it had not been easy to stand up to what she described as “completely unacceptable pressure” from our closest ally. “But there is much to suggest that the hardest part is still ahead of us.”

Trump, who has long coveted making Greenland a part of the United States, renewed his interest in the vast and mineral-rich Arctic island following an audacious U.S. military operation in Venezuela on Jan. 3.

Trump’s comments have raised alarm in Denmark, which is responsible for the defense of Greenland, with Frederiksen cautioning that a U.S. attack would mark the end of NATO.

Defense and resources

Ian Lesser, distinguished fellow at GMF, a Washington-based think tank, said the stakes were “very high” for the talks, warning that failure to resolve the diplomatic crisis “does not just threaten NATO cohesion, it threatens the future existence of the Alliance as we know it.”

The meeting will likely seek to clarify the prospects for and potential contours of a negotiated settlement of the crisis, Lesser said.

“There could be new European commitments to strengthening the defence of Greenland, and more important, the surrounding maritime space. There might also be parallel talks around new and preferential US access to Greenland’s resources,” Lesser told CNBC by email.

“Or, the meeting could end in acrimony,” he added.

The prospect of a public fallout between U.S. and European officials at the White House brings to mind a highly contentious meeting between Trump, Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February last year.

Trump and Vance accused Zelenskyy of a lack of respect as the meeting veered sharply off track, devolving into an extraordinary shouting match live on camera.