Denmark, Greenland leaders hold European talks after US deal

Sanne Wass and Michael Nienaber, Bloomberg News on Jan 27, 2026

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Denmark and Greenland’s leaders are in Berlin and Paris this week to shore up European backing after a framework deal with the U.S. paved the way for negotiations on the Arctic island.

In Berlin, Mette Frederiksen and Jens-Frederik Nielsen attended the Welt Economic Summit on Tuesday, meeting policymakers and diplomats to discuss the the geopolitical situation. They also spoke with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, according to a spokesperson for the German government.

It comes after U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte last week agreed to a “framework” over Greenland, with discussions expected to focus on areas including mining rights, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s role on the island and the defense relationship between Denmark and the U.S.

Trump has said he needs control of Greenland for national security purposes, though he has confirmed he won’t use force to take over the territory. Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark but has its own government.

Frederiksen and Nielsen will travel to Paris for a working lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday. They are set to discuss security issues in the Arctic and the economic and social development of Greenland, “which France and the European Union are ready to support,” the Elysee said in a statement.

On Monday, Frederiksen reiterated Denmark seeks a permanent NATO presence in Greenland, similar to the Baltic Sentry operation in the Baltic Sea.

“This would not only be important for NATO’s northern flank, but would also send a very strong geopolitical signal to Russia and China,” she said at a wind energy summit in Hamburg. “We are working toward this and at the same time we are talking bilaterally with the United States about issues that concern us and the United States.”

Merz on Tuesday told Frederiksen that “Germany, as a European NATO ally, would also do more for security in the High North within the framework of NATO. This is a common transatlantic interest,” the spokesperson said.

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—With assistance from Samy Adghirni.